The embattled and impeached South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, on Thursday refused to attend a second day of questioning by investigators, further stonewalling a criminal probe into whether he committed insurrection with his martial law bid.
News360 Info reports that Yoon on Wednesday became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested and was taken to the Seoul Detention Centre, after refusing to cooperate.
He remained in the centre on Thursday, with his lawyer citing his health as a factor. It was gathered that authorities have 48 hours to question the suspended president, after which they must release him or seek a warrant to detain him for up to 20 days.
His refusal to cooperate with investigators comes as the Constitutional Court held a second hearing in his impeachment trial to determine whether to remove him permanently or reinstate his presidential powers.
The Asian country is said to be grappling with its worst political crisis in decades, sparked by Yoon’s brief attempt to impose martial law on December 3, which was voted down by parliament.
In opening arguments at the Constitutional Court, an opposition Democratic Party lawmaker condemned Yoon for the December 3 insurrection, saying that Yoon and a small number of supporters had sought to stoke chaos by refusing to accept his arrest warrant.
“This impeachment trial decides whether or not to bring someone like this back to the position of commander-in-chief in control of the military,” said Jung Chung-rae, who heads parliament’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Responding, one of Yoon’s defense team said his impeachment was not intended to defend the constitution but for the opposition to use the majority power of parliament to usurp the position of the president.
It was gathered that the main opposition Democratic Party used its majority in parliament to bring on Yoon’s impeachment vote, although some 12 lawmakers from Yoon’s own party also voted to impeach.
