The validity of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest warrant has been extended until 9:05 p.m. Friday to account for delays after a court reviewed the legitimacy of his arrest and found that it was legal. 

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials(CIO) said Friday that the legal documents it submitted for the court review at 2:03 p.m. Thursday were returned at 12:35 a.m. Friday.

A joint team comprising CIO and police investigators arrested Yoon at 10:33 a.m. Wednesday with an arrest warrant effective for 48 hours. 

The warrant was originally set to expire at 10:33 a.m. Friday, but the court review extended the deadline until 9:05 p.m. Friday, as the 48-hour period excludes the time from the moment the court received the documents and evidence for the review until the moment it returned the documents to the investigative authorities. 

The CIO is expected to request a pretrial detention warrant for Yoon before the new deadline.

If a pretrial detention warrant is issued, investigators can hold the president for up to 20 more days.