The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday evening dismissed President Yoon Suk Yeol’s challenge to the legality of his arrest, ensuring he stays in custody in the ongoing investigation into the martial law decree. 

The Seoul court started the closed-door hearing at 5 p.m. Thursday, a day after the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials(CIO) took custody of the suspended president as part of its investigation into his failed martial law attempt last month. 

The ruling, issued later in the evening, upheld the validity of the arrest warrant used by the CIO to take Yoon into custody Wednesday.

Yoon did not attend the closed-door hearing and was represented by his legal counsel. 

Yoon’s defense team has been arguing that the warrant issued by the Seoul Western District Court was invalid due to jurisdictional issues and that the anti-corruption body has no authority over insurrection cases. 
   
Because the hearing forced the CIO to pause its interrogation, the agency’s 48-hour custody of Yoon was extended until 9:05 p.m. Friday, before which the CIO must either request a pretrial detention warrant or release him.