Seoul: A special counsel team has notified former President Yoon Suk Yeol to appear for questioning next week regarding allegations connected to his failed martial law bid. Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team announced on Saturday that it had issued a summons for Yoon to present himself at the Seoul High Prosecutors Office on Wednesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the team intends to interrogate Yoon about charges related to inciting foreign aggression. This stems from accusations that he ordered drone dispatches to Pyongyang in October, preceding his brief declaration of martial law in December. This marks the first occasion investigators have sought to question him on this particular allegation.

Yoon, who has been detained since July, is currently on trial for leading an insurrection and misusing his power through the martial law attempt. However, it remains uncertain if he will comply with the summons, as he has consistently refused to engage with the special counsel's investigation or participate in his insurrection trial since his detention.

The special counsel team suspects that Yoon gave direct orders to the Drone Operations Command, aiming to provoke a military response from North Korea and potentially justify the imposition of martial law. Former military leaders, including Maj. Gen. Kim Yong-dae, Adm. Kim Myung-soo, and Lt. Gen. Lee Seung-oh, have already been questioned about these allegations, although they have denied any connection between the drone dispatch and Yoon's martial law intentions.

Additionally, the team plans to question former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is also in custody at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center on related insurrection charges. Yoon's legal team has criticized the method of notification, claiming it was sent via text message to a lawyer involved in an unrelated case. They emphasized that any investigation should adhere to due process, requiring an official written notice before considering compliance with the questioning.

In a parallel investigation, a special prosecution team led by Min Joong-ki has summoned former prosecutor Kim Sang-min for questioning on allegations of bribing former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Legal sources indicate that the former prosecutor was arrested on charges of gifting a 140 million-won painting to Yoon's wife to secure her support for his 2024 parliamentary campaign.