A South Korean court granted on Sunday an extension of President Yoon Suk Yeol's detention, saying there was "concern" that Yoon could "destroy evidence" in a criminal probe related to his short-lived declaration of martial law in early December.

South Korea's impeached president has argued for his release before a Seoul judge as the court reviewed whether to grant a law enforcement request for his formal arrest.

The rapid response to Yoon’s attempts to subvert the democratic system showed that some lines had been crossed and that South Korea’s people were unwilling to accept it. This had to do with South Korea’s brutal post-war history and its hard-won path to democracy.