According to Yonhap News Agency, the special prosecutor team in charge of the martial law case has asked the court to extend Mr. Yoon's detention until February 6.

Previously, under Korean law, a suspect could be detained for a maximum of 10 days, which could be extended by another 10 days if approved by the court. President Yoon was arrested on January 19 after the initial detention period ended.

However, the court found that there was no reasonable basis to continue detaining Mr. Yoon, as the case had previously been transferred to the prosecution by the Corruption Investigation Office of High Officials (CIO). The CIO does not have the power to prosecute the president, so it handed the case over to the prosecutor for further processing.

With the court's decision, prosecutors will have to speed up the investigation and seek to directly question President Yoon. Previously, Mr. Yoon refused to cooperate with the CIO due to health reasons. In order to deal with the situation where the court does not renew the arrest warrant, the prosecution agency is said to have prepared documents to prosecute Mr. Yoon.

President Yoon is under investigation for allegedly plotting a rebellion by declaring martial law in early December 2024. Under South Korean law, this is one of the few crimes for which a sitting president is not exempt from criminal liability. If convicted, Mr. Yoon could face life in prison or even the death penalty.

Cao Phong (according to Yonhap, CNA)