South Korea: Yoon's supporters stage overnight rallies at Seoul Western District Court

Seoul, Jan 17 Supporters of detained South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol staged overnight rallies in front of the Seoul Western District Court on Friday, where investigators were expected to file for a warrant to formally arrest Yoon.

People in support of Yoon gathered outside the court late Thursday and locked arms in an attempt to block investigators from delivering documents requesting the warrant to the court.

A man in his 20s was detained at the scene after pushing a court employee.

When police blocked the protesters from gathering in front of the court, they moved to a nearby park and continued their rally.

Meanwhile, police launched an investigation to track down the writer of an online post threatening to kill a justice of the Seoul Central District Court who rejected Yoon's petition to review the legality of his detention the previous day, Yonhap news agency reported.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials is expected to file for the arrest warrant before a 48-hour deadline expires Friday night.

Earlier in the day, a Seoul court rejected a petition challenging the detention of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in the ongoing investigation into his botched martial law bid, keeping him in custody a day after he was detained for questioning.

The decision by the Seoul Central District Court came a day after Yoon's legal representatives filed a petition seeking a review of the legality of his detention.

The previous day, investigators had detained Yoon for questioning over his December 3 martial law declaration after he ignored three summonses to appear for questioning in the investigation.

Thursday's court decision rejected claims from Yoon's side that the detention warrant against him, issued by the Seoul Western District Court, was invalid.

Yoon had repeatedly argued that the case should have been handled by the Seoul Central District Court instead, as his lawyers claimed that prosecutors would eventually bring the case there.

The court also rejected claims from Yoon's side that the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) lacked jurisdiction over insurrection, recognising the office's authority to investigate such cases.

Additionally, the court rejected arguments that police personnel had engaged in illegal activities during the detention process and that the martial law declaration, which involved only a small number of unarmed personnel entering the National Assembly, did not constitute a breach of the constitutional order.