S. Korean president attends warrant hearing on whether to be detained for up to 20 days

SEOUL - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday attended the warrant hearing on whether to be detained for up to 20 days.

Vehicles with the arrested president aboard, which departed from the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, arrived at the Seoul Western District Court, about 20 km north of the detention center, TV footage showed.

Yoon was arrested in the presidential residence Wednesday, becoming the country's first sitting president to be arrested.

The impeached president refused to testify at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, for questioning over his short-lived martial law imposition.

If the warrant is issued, Yoon's detention will be extended to up to 20 days, including the arrest period.

After being questioned by the CIO for the initial 10 days, Yoon will be interrogated by the prosecution for the latter 10 days as the two sides agreed to jointly investigate Yoon's insurrection charge.

The impeachment motion against Yoon was passed in the National Assembly on Dec. 14 last year and was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which Yoon's presidential power is suspended.

Yoon, who was named by investigative agencies as a suspected ringleader on an insurrection charge, declared a martial law on the night of Dec. 3. It was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.