South Korea’s impeached leader argues for his release

Supporters for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol greet as his motorcade passes by (Lee Jin-man/AP)

South Korea’s impeached president argued for his release before a Seoul judge as the court reviewed whether to grant a law enforcement request for his formal arrest.

Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been in detention since he was apprehended on Wednesday in a massive law enforcement operation at his residence, faces potential rebellion charges linked to his declaration of martial law on December 3, which set off the country’s most serious political crisis since its democratisation in the late 1980s.