Hundreds of supporters of South Korea's arrested president, Yoon Suk Yeol, stormed a court building after his detention was extended,smashing windows and breaking inside, an attack the country's acting leader called "unimaginable".
Mr Yoon earlier this week became the first sitting South Korean President to be arrested as he faces allegations of insurrection related to his stunning, short-lived 3 December declaration of martial law that has plunged the country into political turmoil.
Shortly after the court announced its decision, Mr Yoon's supporters swarmed the building,overwhelming riot police trying to keep them at bay.
Protesters blasted fire extinguishers at lines of police guarding the front entrance, then flooded inside, destroying office equipment, fittings and furniture, footage showed.
Police restored order a few hours later, saying they had arrested 46 protesters and vowing to track down others involved.
"The government expresses strong regret over the illegal violence... which is unimaginable in a democratic society,"acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement, adding that the authorities would step up safety measures around gatherings.
About 40 people suffered minor injuries, said an emergency responder near the Seoul Western District Court.
Concern Yoon may destroy evidence
With Mr Yoon refusing to be questioned, investigators facing a deadline on detaining the impeached president asked the court onFriday to extend his custody.
After a five-hour hearing which the suspended leader attended, a judge granted a new warrant extending Mr Yoon's detention for up to 20 days, due to "concern that the suspect may destroy evidence".
South Korean regulations require a suspect detained under a warrant to undergo a physical exam, have a mugshot taken and wear a prison uniform.
The leader is being held in a solitary cell at the Seoul Detention Centre.
The corruption investigation office leading the probe said it had called Mr Yoon in for further questioning this afternoon, but the prosecutor-turned-president has so far stonewalled their efforts to interrogate him.
His lawyers have argued the arrest is illegal because the warrant was issued in the wrong jurisdiction and the investigating team had no mandate for their probe.
Insurrection, the crime that Mr Yoon may be charged with, is one of the few that a South Korean president does not have immunity from and is technically punishable by death. South Korea, however, has not executed anyone in nearly 30 years.
"President Yoon Suk Yeol and our legal team will never give up," lawyers representing Mr Yoon said in a statement.
"We will do our best in all future judicial procedures to correct the wrong," the lawyers said, adding that the violence at the court was an "unfortunate" incident.
Separate from the criminal probe that sparked chaos, the Constitutional Court is deliberating whether to permanently remove him from office, in line with parliament's14 December impeachment, or restore his presidential powers.
Political parties weigh in
Mr Yoon's conservative People Power Party called the court's decision to extend his detention a "great pity".
"There's a question whether repercussions of detaining a sitting president were sufficiently considered," the party said in a statement.
The main opposition Democratic Party said the decision was a"cornerstone" for rebuilding order and that "riots" by"far-right" groups would only deepen the national crisis.
Support for the PPP collapsed after his martial law declaration, which he rescinded hours later in the face of a unanimous vote in parliament rejecting it.
But in the turmoil since - in which the opposition-majority parliament also impeached his first replacement and investigators botched an initial attempt to arrest Mr Yoon - the PPP's support has sharply rebounded.
Thousands gathered for an orderly rally in support of Mr Yoon in downtown Seoul yesterday morning.
Anti-Yoon demonstrations have also taken place across the city in recent days.
