SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
By Joyce Lee and Ju-min Park
Seoul: Hundreds of supporters of South Korea’s arrested president, Yoon Suk Yeol, stormed a court building early on Sunday after his detention was extended, smashing windows and breaking inside, an attack the country’s acting leader called “unimaginable”.
Yoon on Wednesday became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. He faces allegations of insurrection related to his stunning, short-lived December 3 declaration of martial law that has plunged the country into political turmoil.
Police guard the Seoul Western District Court after the president’s supporters stormed the building.Credit: Getty Images
Shortly after the court announced its decision around 3am (5am AEDT) on Sunday, Yoon’s supporters swarmed the building, overwhelming riot police trying to keep them at bay.
Protesters blasted fire extinguishers at lines of police guarding the front entrance, then flooded inside, destroying office equipment, fittings and furniture, footage showed.
Police restored order a few hours later, saying they had arrested 46 protesters and vowing to track down others involved.
“The government expresses strong regret over the illegal violence… which is unimaginable in a democratic society,” acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement, adding that the authorities would step up safety measures around gatherings.
Nine police officers were injured in the chaos, Yonhap news agency reported. Police were not immediately available for comment on the injured officers.
About 40 people suffered minor injuries, an emergency responder near the Seoul Western District Court said.
Several of those involved live-streamed the intrusion on YouTube, showing protesters trashing the court and chanting Yoon’s name. Some streamers were caught by police during their broadcasts.
With Yoon refusing to be questioned, investigators facing a deadline on detaining the impeached president asked the court on Friday to extend his custody.
Broken glass at the court after the break-in.Credit: Getty Images
After a five-hour hearing on Saturday, which Yoon attended, a judge granted a new warrant extending Yoon’s detention for up to 20 days, due to “concern that the suspect may destroy evidence”.
South Korean regulations require a suspect detained under a warrant to undergo a physical examination, have a mugshot taken and wear a prison uniform.
The leader is being held in a solitary cell at the Seoul Detention Centre.
The corruption investigation office leading the probe said it had called Yoon in for further questioning on Sunday afternoon, but the prosecutor-turned-president has so far stonewalled their efforts to interrogate him.
His lawyers have argued the arrest is illegal because the warrant was issued in the wrong jurisdiction and the investigating team had no mandate for its probe.
Insurrection, the crime that Yoon may be charged with, is one of the few that a South Korean president does not have immunity from and is technically punishable by death. South Korea, however, has not executed anyone in nearly 30 years.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol and our legal team will never give up,” lawyers representing Yoon said in a statement.
“We will do our best in all future judicial procedures to correct the wrong,” the lawyers said, adding that the violence at the court was an “unfortunate” incident.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials near Seoul last week.Credit: AP
Separate to the criminal probe that sparked Sunday’s chaos, the Constitutional Court is deliberating whether to permanently remove Yoon from office, in line with parliament’s December 14 impeachment, or restore his presidential powers.
Yoon’s conservative People Power Party called the court’s decision to extend his detention on Sunday a “great pity”.
“There’s a question whether repercussions of detaining a sitting president were sufficiently considered,” the party said in a statement.
The main opposition Democratic Party said the decision was a cornerstone for rebuilding order and that riots by “far-right” groups would only deepen the national crisis.
Police outside the court on Sunday.Credit: AP
Support for the PPP collapsed after Yoon’s martial law declaration, which he rescinded hours later in the face of a unanimous vote in parliament rejecting it.
But in the turmoil since, in which the opposition-majority parliament also impeached his first replacement and investigators botched an initial attempt to arrest Yoon, the PPP’s support has sharply rebounded.
His party has edged ahead of the opposition Democratic Party in support – 39 per cent to 36 per cent – for the first time since August, a Gallup Korea poll showed.
Thousands gathered for an orderly rally in support of Yoon in central Seoul on Sunday morning. Anti-Yoon demonstrations have also taken place across the city in recent days.
Reuters
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
