Seoul, July 9 (IANS) A South Korean court hearing on whether to issue an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law ended Wednesday after nearly seven hours.

The hearing at the Seoul Central District Court ran from about 2:20 p.m. to 9 p.m., during which a special counsel team argued for the warrant’s issuance, while Yoon’s defence contested it.

Yoon, who attended the hearing and gave a final statement for about 20 minutes, left the court building without responding to reporters’ questions.

The court is expected to decide on the warrant late in the day or early Thursday. Until then, the former president will wait for the outcome at Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, just south of the capital.

The hearing came after special counsel Cho Eun-suk requested a warrant to arrest Yoon over five key charges, including alleged illegalities in calling select Cabinet members to a meeting held shortly before he declared martial law on December 3.

Among the charges, the former president is accused of creating a false martial law declaration document after December 3 to add legitimacy to his actions and having it signed by then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and then Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun before discarding it.

The other charges involve his alleged instruction to the presidential spokesperson for foreign press to distribute false statements denying his intent to destroy the constitutional order through the martial law attempt, his alleged instruction to the Presidential Security Service to block his detention by investigators in early January and his alleged order to delete call records from secure phones used by three military commanders.

Yoon’s side has rejected all charges, Yonhap news agency reported.

In the event the court issues the warrant, it will be the second time Yoon is placed in custody. The first time was in January when he was still in office.

–IANS

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