The Republic of Korea Prosecutors' Office has again filed a petition with the court to extend the detention of President Yun Suk-yeol, Yonhap reported.
On January 23, the High-ranking Anti-Corruption Investigation Service transferred the sedition case against Yun Suk-yeol to the prosecutors' office due to the head of state's refusal to cooperate with the investigation. On the same day, the prosecutors asked the court to extend the president's detention until February 6.
The Seoul Central District Court on January 24 refused to extend the president's detention, finding insufficient grounds for prosecutors to conduct further investigation after the case was transferred to it. The judge noted that the law distinguishes between an investigation and a state prosecution in a trial, and the law on the Anti-Corruption Bureau assumes that it conducts independent investigations.
The prosecution, in re-filing the petition, noted that there have been precedents in the past when the prosecution conducted an investigation after the department. The law enforcement agency considers it necessary to expand the conclusion to conduct an additional investigation. Yoon Suk-yeol was arrested on January 15, taken for the first and only interrogation by the department, during which he refused to testify. Despite numerous attempts and the president's detention, the department was never able to conduct another interrogation.
The court decided to arrest Yoon Suk-yeol on January 19 for an initial 10 days - until January 28. His defense has repeatedly called the arrest invalid because the order was obtained from the wrong court. His lawyers argue that the anti-corruption bureau lacks the authority to investigate alleged riots. In addition, Yoon Suk-yeol was at the residence, a high-security zone that prevents searches without permission from the presidential security service.