Seoul: Former President Yoon Suk Yeol once more did not appear for questioning by a special counsel on Wednesday, raising the possibility of a detention warrant being issued to bring him in by force. Yoon, who is currently under arrest for his alleged involvement in a martial law attempt in December, was scheduled to appear at special counsel Min Joong-ki's office by 10 a.m. to address allegations of meddling in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon's aide stated that his nonappearance was due to health issues, similar to previous occasions. "He has difficulty moving and is even struggling to sit, so it's unlikely he will be able to appear in the future unless his health improves," the aide explained. Yoon had also ignored an earlier summons on Tuesday, citing deteriorating health as the reason.

Min's team had previously warned that a detention warrant might be considered if Yoon failed to appear a second time. If issued, the team may send an assistant special counsel and a prosecutor to Seoul Detention Center, where Yoon is being held, to physically enforce his appearance.

Yoon has been detained since July 10 following a court-issued warrant for his arrest related to charges stemming from his martial law attempt. This warrant was requested by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team, which is investigating allegations of insurrection and other offenses associated with the decree.

Additionally, Min's team is probing corruption allegations involving Yoon's wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee. These include suspicions that the couple received free opinion polls from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the 2022 presidential election in return for nominating former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun for a parliamentary by-election later that year. Min's team is also examining whether Yoon violated election laws by making false statements about his wife's potential involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme during the 2021 presidential primaries.