President Yoon Seok Yeol’s pre-arrest interrogation (warrant hearing) lasted for 4 hours and 50 minutes and concluded on January 18.
The hearing was conducted by Chief Judge Cha Eun Kyung of the Seoul Western District Court from 2:00 PM to 6:50 PM. Yoon, who faces charges of treason and obstruction of official duties, participated in the hearing alongside his legal team.
According to Yoon’s attorney, Seok Dong Hyun, the President personally spoke for approximately 40 minutes between 4:35 PM and 5:15 PM. Yoon also made a final statement before the session ended, which lasted for 5 minutes.
During the hearing, prosecutors from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) and Yoon's defense team each spoke for 70 minutes. After Yoon’s 40-minute speech, the hearing took a 20-minute break starting at 5:20 PM. The session resumed at 5:40 PM and ended at 6:50 PM.
Earlier in the day, Yoon, dressed in a suit, left the Seoul Correctional Facility in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, aboard a Ministry of Justice transport vehicle at 1:25 PM and arrived at the Seoul Western District Court at 1:55 PM. Yoon did not stop at the photo line set up at the court entrance and entered the courtroom through the underground parking lot.
Initially, Yoon had been opposed to attending the hearing in person, but after meeting with his legal team in the morning, he reversed his position.
Yoon’s legal team stated, “The President deeply regrets the arrests of ministers, generals, and police chiefs who were entrusted with maintaining order or carrying out martial law duties under his command. He decided to attend the hearing to personally explain the legitimacy of the martial law and to restore his honor, believing that neither martial law nor charges of treason are valid according to the law and the Constitution.”
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