Seoul, Jan 15 (IANS) South Korean impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was taken to a detention centre late on Wednesday where he will spend the night before undergoing further questioning over his short-lived imposition of martial law.

Yoon was escorted to the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, 22 kilometres south of Seoul, after being questioned for over 10 hours at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in nearby Gwacheon.

"The questioning of President Yoon ended at 9:40 p.m.," the CIO said in a notice to the press.

Yoon refused to answer questions regarding his declaration of martial law on December 3, according to the CIO. He will be questioned further on Thursday before investigators file for a warrant to formally arrest him within 48 hours from the time they detained him at 10:33 a.m. Wednesday.

Yoon, the first sitting president to be arrested, was detained by investigators at his official residence in central Seoul after their first attempt to detain him in early January failed due to a standoff with presidential security personnel, Yonhap news agency reported.

The questioning sessions were held inside an interrogation room at the CIO headquarters and led by deputy CIO chief Lee Jae-seung, among others, with one of Yoon's lawyers present. The questioning was not recorded on video due to Yoon's objections, according to the CIO.

Yoon, who is suspended from duty following his impeachment by the National Assembly on December 14, faces charges of insurrection and abuse of power.

He is accused of sending troops to the National Assembly after declaring martial law on the night of December 3 to stop lawmakers from voting down the decree.

The president has defended his declaration of martial law as an "act of governance" meant to send a warning to the main opposition Democratic Party over what he described as its abuse of legislative power.

In a recorded video message released after his arrest, Yoon remained defiant, saying, "Although it is an illegal investigation, I decided to agree to appear at the CIO in order to prevent ugly bloodshed."

Yoon has consistently denied the legality of the CIO's probe, noting the agency is not technically authorised to investigate insurrection charges.

In a statement issued after questioning ended, Yoon's lawyers said they have filed for a review of the legality of his detention with the Seoul Central District Court, not the Seoul Western District Court that issued the warrant for his detention.

The choice of court was based on the knowledge that prosecutors will file their indictment with the Seoul Central District Court should they indict him, they said.

Though Yoon has defied the investigation, he has stated plans to appear before the Constitutional Court to defend himself there during a trial on whether to remove him from office or reinstate him.

"It's highly likely he will be kept in custody due to the CIO's cruel execution of detention, but I think he will attend (the trial) without being intimidated," Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer and Yoon's longtime friend, told reporters outside the Seoul High Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul.

With the CIO's questioning set to last through Thursday, however, Seok suggested the president will not appear at the second formal hearing of the trial scheduled for that day.

Judicial sources later said Yoon's lawyers submitted a request to the Constitutional Court asking for the hearing's postponement.

The arrest followed hours of talks between investigators and Yoon's side at his residence over how to detain him and take him away for questioning.

Investigators used ladders to enter the presidential residence compound after being blocked by the Presidential Security Service, which set up a barricade using vehicles near the entrance. They were also blocked by a group of lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party and Yoon's lawyers at the entrance.

Some investigators appeared to attempt to secure access to the compound through a nearby hiking trail.

"This is not a just enforcement of the law," Yun Gap-geun, one of the lawyers, said, calling the investigators' attempt "illegal."

Police deployed some 3,000 personnel to secure access to the compound, with physical clashes taking place between investigators and Yoon's supporters. Fire authorities arrived at the scene to treat a middle-aged woman on the ground.

Thousands of protesters for or against Yoon's arrest had rallied outside the compound for weeks, with some camping out during the night in subzero temperatures.

When news of Yoon's detainment was heard, his supporters protested vehemently, hurling insults at the anti-Yoon ralliers and the "commie CIO."

Some stood up to take their protest to the CIO office, and by 11:30 a.m., people were gathering on a sidewalk across from its entrance.

In the evening, a man self-immolated near the CIO and was taken to a hospital in serious condition. It was not immediately clear whether the act was related to Yoon's arrest.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS

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