Impeached South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol argued that a Seoul court was considering whether to grant a formal arrest request to release him from detention.

Yin has been detained since Wednesday after being captured during a large-scale law enforcement operation at his residence. He was accused of plotting a rebellion after martial law was declared in December, sparking South Korea's worst political crisis since its democratization in the late 1980s.

The Office for the Investigation of Senior Officials' Corruption, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and military, requested a formal arrest warrant for Yoon.

Yin's lawyer said he spoke with the judge for about 40 minutes during the nearly five-hour closed-door hearing. His legal team and anti-corruption agencies have made counterarguments over whether he should be detained. Lawyers did not agree with his specific comments.

The judge is expected to make a decision this weekend. On Saturday night, Yoon's motorcade was seen leaving the courthouse and heading to the detention center where he is being held.

If Yin is arrested, investigators can extend his detention to 20 days, during which time they will hand the case over to prosecutors for prosecution. If the court denies the investigators' request, Yin will be released and returned to his residence.

It's unclear whether Yin will attend Saturday's hearing, but he appears to have accepted the advice of his legal team to appear before a judge in person.

A member of the team said the president would argue that his decree was a legitimate exercise of power and that the rebellion charge would not hold up before the criminal court or the Constitutional Court, which is reviewing whether to formally remove him or reinstate him. .

Nine people, including Yun's defense minister, police chief and several senior military commanders, have been arrested and charged for their roles in enforcing martial law.

Under South Korean law, planning a rebellion is punishable by life imprisonment or death.

Yin's lawyers argued that there was no need to detain him during the investigation, saying he posed no threat to flee or destroy evidence.

Investigators responded that Yoon ignored several requests to appear in court for questioning, and the presidential security service blocked an attempt to detain him on January 3. His defiance raised concerns about whether he would have complied with criminal court proceedings if he had not been arrested.