A Seoul court held a hearing Wednesday on special prosecutors' request to suspend and nullify the presidential aides' recent rejection of investigators' search of the presidential office for a corruption investigation of President Park Geun-hye and her associates.

The special counsel looking into the influence-peddling scandal centered on Park filed the lawsuit with the Seoul Administrative Court on Friday after its attempt to raid the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae was halted by her secretaries earlier this month for security reasons.

After hearing arguments from both sides during the hour-long session, the court ordered them to submit additional opinions by midnight.

The court is expected to speed up deliberation, as the probe team's investigation deadline is slated for Feb. 28 and a court-issued search warrant is also valid until the same day.

The probe team's spokesman earlier said the raid of Cheong Wa Dae will become impossible if the suit is turned down by the court.

Under the country's law, military facilities and other areas that handle confidential information cannot be searched without approval from the person in charge of the location. The law, however, prohibits the person from refusing to grant such consent unless it infringes upon key national interests. (Yonhap)