South Korea’s political turmoil deepened this week as a Seoul court approved a detention warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol at 2:07 a.m. on 10 July, sending the ousted leader back to the Seoul Detention Center. The decision followed a marathon hearing the previous day on whether Yoon should be held while special prosecutors pursue charges tied to his aborted attempt last December to impose martial law, an act that led to his impeachment and removal from office in April. Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, appointed last month by President Lee Jae Myung, is investigating Yoon on counts of insurrection, abuse of power and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors argue the former conservative leader poses a flight risk and could tamper with evidence. Yoon’s lawyers deny wrongdoing and say the warrant is excessive. A separate team under Special Prosecutor Lim Myung-hyun widened a parallel inquiry on 11 July into allegations that Yoon and top aides blocked a police investigation into the 2023 drowning death of Marine Private Chae. Investigators searched Yoon’s Acro Vista apartment in southern Seoul from about 9:30 a.m., seizing at least one mobile phone while his wife, Kim Keon Hee, was present. Homes of former National Intelligence Service chief Cho Tae-yong and other ex-presidential aides were also raided, and efforts to search ruling-party lawmaker Im Jong-duk’s National Assembly office were delayed by party members. The special counsel summoned Yoon for questioning at 2 p.m. on 11 July, but he refused, submitting a statement that cited health problems. Prosecutors have asked the detention center to verify his condition and said they will insist on in-person questioning rather than visiting him in jail. If convicted on the most serious charges, Yoon faces a potential life sentence.