The impeached and detained president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, He would not attend the new interrogation that investigators have called for Friday, his lawyer said in a statement.
In order to keep Yoon in custody for longer, Investigators are expected to ask a court on Friday to approve a detention order of up to 20 days, legal experts said.
On Wednesday, Yoon became the first sitting South Korean president to be detained in connection with an investigation into whether he committed insurrection when he briefly imposed martial law in early December. He is being held at the Seoul Detention Center.
Although Yoon’s lawyers challenged the legality of his detention, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed their appeal late Thursday, ruling that Yoon’s detention was legal.
Yoon has been summoned for questioning at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Friday, Yonhap reported. citing the Corruption Investigation Office of Senior Officials (CIO), which is leading the criminal investigation. The CIO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The authorities have 48 hours to question the ousted president, after which they must release him or request an arrest warrant for up to 20 days.
The 48-hour countdown is expected to end on Friday afternoon, after it was paused to allow a court to review the challenge to his detention, Yonhap said, citing the CIO.
