South Korea's ousted president, Yun Suk-jeol, has refused to be questioned by investigators as part of an investigation into whether he committed sedition, while dozens of his supporters face arrest for a violent attack on a courthouse.
Authorities said security measures have been tightened at the Seoul Detention Center, where Jun is being held as a pre-trial detainee, as well as at the Constitutional Court, which is conducting his impeachment process to decide whether to permanently remove him from office.
Last week, Jun became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested over his short-lived declaration of a state of emergency on December 3.
On Sunday, he was formally processed for detention, including being photographed for records, after the court approved the order, citing concerns that the suspect might destroy evidence.
Following the midnight verdict, angry Jun supporters stormed the Seoul Western District Court building in the early hours of Sunday, destroying property and clashing with police, who were at times overwhelmed by the crowd using broken barricades for attacks.
Police plan to arrest 66 people for trespassing, obstruction of official duties and assaulting police officers, Yonhap news agency reported.
Other perpetrators are still being identified, and police will also take legal action against them, Acting Justice Minister Kim Seok-u told the parliamentary judiciary committee.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok expressed deep regret over the "unlawful violence" at the courthouse and called on police to strictly enforce the law to prevent a repeat of incidents like Sunday's.
Hundreds of protesters, some using fire extinguishers against police cordons, broke into the courthouse shortly after the ruling, handed down at 3 a.m. Sunday, authorizing Jun's detention.
In the videos, some of them were seen wandering the hallways where the judges' offices are located, shouting the name of the judge who approved the detention order.
At least one judge's office was forcibly broken into, said Chun Dae-yup, head of the National Judicial Administration.
Several participants live-streamed the intrusion on YouTube, showing footage of protesters destroying the courthouse and chanting Jun's name. Some of the streamers were caught by police during their broadcasts.
Jun's refusal to appear for questioning at the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is leading the criminal investigation, comes after his repeated refusal to cooperate with the investigation.
His lawyers argue that his arrest on Wednesday and the detention order are illegal, because they were approved by a court that does not have jurisdiction, and the CIO itself does not have the legal authority to conduct the investigation.
Sedition, the crime for which Jun could be charged, is one of the few for which a South Korean president does not enjoy immunity and is technically punishable by death. However, South Korea has not carried out any executions in nearly 30 years.
Jun said through his lawyers that he was "shocked and saddened" by the violence, urging people to express their opinions peacefully. He also said in the statement that he understood that many felt "anger and injustice", urging police to take a tolerant stance.
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