Yoon appears for arrest warrant hearing at Seoul court
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- SARAH KIM
- [email protected]
![Police stand guard as a convoy with impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol departs the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi, to the Seoul Western District Court for Yoon’s arrest warrant hearing. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/19/bb9a222f-9f47-4f5f-a744-c037381dc03d.jpg)
Police stand guard as a convoy with impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol departs the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi, to the Seoul Western District Court for Yoon’s arrest warrant hearing. [YONHAP]
The hearing began at around 2:08 p.m. and was an opportunity for Yoon to deny insurrection charges raised against him by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) after his short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3 last year.
Cha Eun-kyung, a senior judge at the Seoul Western District Court, presided over the hearing and would be reviewing if there is any risk of destroying of evidence or flight, among other factors.
Yoon's lawyer, Yun Gap-keun, told reporters in a statement Saturday morning that the president made the decision to attend the hearing in person, contrary to public expectations, to explain the legitimacy of his martial law declaration in person and restore his reputation.
This marks the first time in Korean constitutional history an incumbent president has appeared for his own arrest warrant hearing. If the court decides to issue the warrant, Yoon will also become the first sitting president to be formally arrested.
At around 1:25 p.m., Yoon, transferred in a Justice Ministry vehicle and accompanied by a Presidential Security Service convoy, departed from the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi, to the court in western Seoul. Police controlled traffic for Yoon's route to the court. Yoon's supporters were gathered both in front of the detention center as he departed, and near the court as he arrived.
As Yoon's convoy neared the court, some supporters stormed the road and blocked the vehicle, temporarily holding up the motorcade at around 1:50 p.m.
The vehicle carrying Yoon bypassed a photo line where journalists waited and entered the court's underground parking lot around 1:54 p.m. shortly before the scheduled hearing.
![The Justice Ministry van carrying impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Seoul Western District Court in Seoul for his arrest warrant hearing at 2 p.m. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/19/9263722f-e644-4225-bb04-324efcc8fab6.jpg)
The Justice Ministry van carrying impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Seoul Western District Court in Seoul for his arrest warrant hearing at 2 p.m. [YONHAP]
The CIO spoke first for 110 minutes, said Yoon's lawyers. Then after a PowerPoint presentation by Yoon's defense team, the president spoke for about 40 minutes from around 4:35 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.. The hearing took a break for 20 minutes at the request of the presiding judge and resumed at 5:40 p.m.
The president gave a five-minute closing remark, his attorneys said.
Yoon’s arrest warrant hearing ended at around 6:50 p.m., around five hours after it began.
Yun Gap-geun, Yoon's attorney, told reporters as he left the court that President Yoon “responded truthfully” and that he will now “wait for the court to make a decision.”
A convoy transferring Yoon in a Justice Ministry vehicle, flanked by security, departed for the Seoul Detention Center from the Seoul Western District Court at around 7:30 p.m.
Thousands of supporters of Yoon had gathered in front of the court, protesting his arrest.
Police said 17 people seen to be supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol were arrested as they tried to climb walls and gates to get into Seoul Western District Court.
![Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol are lying on the street in protest of his arrest in front of the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, ahead of a warrant hearing. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/19/77871fdf-1797-45cb-8366-9ac5b7312ae1.jpg)
Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol are lying on the street in protest of his arrest in front of the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, ahead of a warrant hearing. [YONHAP]
By law, the agency has 48 hours from the moment it detained the president to keep him in custody under its original warrant to hold and investigate him over suspicions that he masterminded an insurrection against the country's democratic order by declaring martial law on Dec. 3. That timer was paused on Wednesday while the Seoul Central District Court considered a petition from Yoon's legal team challenging the validity of his detention. After the court dismissed the petition, that hold was lifted.
![Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol hold a rally in front of the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, Saturday afternoon amid Yoon’s arrest warrant hearing. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/19/00c09d9b-19a9-4f1b-ab28-8ed9a5625e63.jpg)
Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol hold a rally in front of the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, Saturday afternoon amid Yoon’s arrest warrant hearing. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
The formal arrest warrant, if granted, would allow the CIO to hold the president for questioning for up to 20 more days. If denied, Yoon could go back to the presidential residence.
The decision could be made as early as Saturday night.
Update, Jan. 18: Added details of the hearing.
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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