South Koreans storm court as president’s detention extended (VIDEOS)

A Seoul judge has ordered Yoon Suk Yeol to be detained for up to 20 days

Supporters of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol broke windows and attacked police officers after a court in Seoul extended the president’s detention over a failed bid to impose martial law last month.

Yoon appeared before Seoul Western District Court on Sunday, three days after he was arrested on charges of insurrection and abuse of power. A judge approved a warrant to detain the president for an additional 20 days, citing “concern that the suspect may destroy evidence” if released.

After the warrant was approved in the early hours of Sunday morning, a group of Yoon’s supporters broke windows and forced their way into the courthouse. Plastic chairs and trash were thrown at police officers as the crowd chanted “President Yoon Suk Yeol!, President Yoon!,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.

Video footage shared on social media showed several men destroying computers and office fittings inside the court, and tearing tiles from the building’s exterior.

Yoon declared martial law on December 3, citing threats from “anti-state” forces. The highly controversial move was swiftly overruled and led to his impeachment by the National Assembly on December 14 by a vote of 204-85. The Constitutional Court is currently deliberating on whether to permanently remove him from office, a decision that must be made within 180 days.

Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended upon his impeachment.


READ MORE: South Korea’s president detained – Yonhap

The president allowed himself to be arrested on Wednesday after several failed attempts by police to take him into custody. Yoon’s security detail kept police away from his residence on January 3, while a dawn raid on the house was canceled on Wednesday after Yoon agreed to surrender himself to avoid clashes between officers and his supporters, who surrounded the property in an attempt to keep the president safe.

Yoon’s lawyers have portrayed the president’s decision to impose martial law as an “act of governance” taken to stop legislative gridlock and opposition-led impeachments of his cabinet members. In a statement to his supporters earlier this month, Yoon vowed to “fight alongside you to the very end to protect this nation.”

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