SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea's anti-corruption agency said Friday it will ask a Seoul court to extend the detention of impeached President Yun Seok-yeol as he again refuses to be questioned by investigators.
On Wednesday, Yun became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested on whether he was guilty of rebellion during the brief imposition of martial law in early December. He is currently being held at the Seoul Detention Center.
To extend Yoon's detention, investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), the senior official leading the probe, will need to ask the court for a detention order of up to 20 days.
In response to a question about whether investigators were prepared to file a request to further detain Yin, a CIO official told reporters: "I think you can consider it done."
The official told reporters that Yin's current arrest term was set to expire Friday night.
On Thursday, the Seoul Central District Court rejected Yoon's lawyer's challenge to the legality of his arrest.
Polls show the former president blocked his chief information officer's interrogation on Thursday and Friday, as his party exploits political polarization to boost its support since Yoon's arrest.
"He fully stated his basic position on the first day (of the arrest), and we believe there is no reason or necessity to answer question-and-answer-style back-and-forth questions," Yoon's lawyer Seok Dong-hyeon said in a statement.
The suspended president's legal team denies that Yoon orchestrated an insurrection, a crime punishable by life in prison and even technically the death penalty in South Korea.
Shi said Friday he expected investigators to seek a detention warrant, but he hoped the court would consider the "unlawfulness" of the arrest more carefully and comprehensively when reviewing the warrant.
As South Korea grapples with its worst political crisis in decades, Yoon Eun-hye shocked the country with her brief attempt to impose martial law on December 3, but was quickly rejected by parliament.
Yoon was impeached on December 14 and faces a Constitutional Court trial starting this week to decide whether to permanently suspend his powers or return him to office.
Polls show a majority of South Koreans support impeaching him, but Yoon's legal woes and defiance of his arrest appear to have angered some of his supporters.
A Gallup Korea poll released on Friday showed support for the ruling People's Power Party led by Yoon Eun-hye at 39%, up from 34% a week ago and surpassing the main opposition Democratic Party's 36% for the first time since August.
Gallup Korea said the messages Yoon and his party have been sending to supporters appear to be having an impact as political divisions surrounding Yoon's arrest deepen.
Yin was arrested after a week-long standoff when more than 3,000 police officers swooped into his home. Previously, on January 3, investigators held a standoff with Yin's personal bodyguard for several hours but failed to arrest him.
Yonhap News Agency said Kim Sung-hoon, acting chief of the Presidential Security Service, was arrested on Friday for preventing investigators from first arresting Yoon on January 3.
Kim told reporters that he was performing "legitimate security duties" and denied accusations by some opposition lawmakers that Yoon ordered guards to use weapons against investigators trying to arrest him.
While key ally Washington criticized Yoon for declaring martial law, national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned last week that nuclear-armed North Korea could try to exploit the political situation in South Korea.
North Korea has largely avoided public comment on the situation in Seoul, but state media reported Yin's arrest on Friday, two days after the incident.
"Rodong Sinmun" quoted foreign media reports as saying that this is the first time that South Korea has arrested a sitting president.
"Rodong Sinmun" said: "Yin Seok-yeol did not sacrifice national order for personal interests and followed legal procedures."