South Korea: Ex-President Yoon attends court hearing on his potential arrest

Seoul, July 9 (IANS) Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attended a court hearing Wednesday on his potential arrest over charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law.

The hearing at the Seoul Central District Court came after special counsel Cho Eun-suk requested a warrant to arrest Yoon over five key charges, including alleged illegalities in calling select Cabinet members to a meeting held shortly before he declared martial law on December 3.

Yoon entered the court building without answering reporters' questions.

Among the charges, the former president is accused of creating a false martial law declaration document after December 3 to add legitimacy to his actions and having it signed by then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and then Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun before discarding it.

The other charges involve his alleged instruction to the presidential spokesperson for foreign press to distribute false statements denying his intent to destroy the constitutional order through the martial law attempt, his alleged instruction to the Presidential Security Service to block his detention by investigators in early January and his alleged order to delete call records from secure phones used by three military commanders.

Yoon's side has rejected all charges.

The court is expected to decide on the warrant late Wednesday or early Thursday. Until then, the former president will wait for the outcome at Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, just south of the capital.

In the event the court issues the warrant, it will be the second time Yoon is placed in custody. The first time was in January when he was still in office, Yonhap news agency reported.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency planned to deploy about 2,000 police officers and some 350 pieces of equipment, such as safety fences, around the court in southern Seoul until it announces its decision on the warrant.

--IANS

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