Seoul: Former President Yoon Suk Yeol voluntarily appeared before a special counsel team on Wednesday, preempting the execution of a warrant intended to bring him in by force.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon was present at special counsel Cho Eun-suk's office to address allegations tied to his failed imposition of martial law. Assistant special counsel Park Ji-young confirmed during a press briefing that this was the first time Yoon responded to a summons, having previously ignored all requests since his second arrest in July. These investigations also involve various allegations surrounding him and his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
Park noted that Yoon's appearance followed a court-issued detention warrant on October 1. The execution order was directed to the Seoul Detention Center, where Yoon is currently held, and was scheduled for implementation the following day. "The Seoul Detention Center was scheduled to execute the detention warrant at around 8 a.m. today in consideration of his trial schedule," she stated. Yoon was informed in advance about the warrant and opted to comply voluntarily, thus the execution did not proceed.
The special counsel team had previously summoned Yoon on September 24 and September 30 concerning allegations that he had dispatched drones to North Korea in October of the prior year. The alleged act aimed to provoke retaliation, providing a pretext for declaring martial law. Yoon did impose martial law on December 3 but subsequently withdrew it after the National Assembly repealed it.
Currently, Yoon faces two separate trials related to his martial law attempt, including charges of leading an insurrection and abusing his power. The special counsel team plans to further indict him for inciting foreign aggression via the drone dispatch.
In a press statement, Yoon's legal representatives stated that his voluntary appearance was intended to "ease the burden" on prison officers, who experienced "great distress" during a prior detention attempt in August. They criticized the special counsel team for requesting the detention warrant, asserting it violated lawful procedure principles. "At around 7:30 a.m. today, prison officers attempted to suddenly execute the warrant before the suspect had a chance to wash his face, but in order to not impose a burden on them, the suspect put on his clothes and appeared voluntarily without even washing his face," they explained.