Seoul: A special counsel team announced on Sunday that former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been notified to appear for a second round of questioning on Tuesday regarding insurrection charges related to his December 3 martial law declaration. Yoon is expected to appear at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, following an extensive interrogation session over the weekend.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon's legal team had previously requested a postponement of the originally proposed Monday appearance, citing his health condition and the need for adequate preparation time for his ongoing trials. The prosecution emphasized that while scheduling coordination does not constitute an agreement, the final decision lies with the investigative authority.
Yoon endured a 15-hour session at the Seoul High Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul early Sunday, where he was questioned about allegations of ordering the Presidential Security Service to prevent his arrest when investigators attempted to execute a warrant in January. The special counsel team has indicated plans to summon Yoon for questioning indefinitely until the investigation concludes.
During the marathon session, which lasted about five hours, questioning was temporarily halted due to objections from Yoon's lawyers regarding the presence of a police investigator they claimed was unfit to question the former president. Yoon faced questions about a Cabinet meeting preceding his martial law declaration, his alleged attempt to obstruct the National Assembly from lifting martial law, and treason charges.
Yoon's lawyers stated that he responded to the questions to the best of his ability. The special counsel team intends to resume questioning at 9 a.m. on Monday, focusing on allegations that Yoon ordered officials to delete records of secure phones used by those allegedly involved in martial law operations. Yoon's legal team plans to discuss scheduling for the subsequent session with the special counsel.
Song Jin-ho, one of Yoon's lawyers, assured reporters that Yoon would comply with any summons that adheres to due process. This questioning session occurred two weeks after the launch of the special counsel probe and 85 days following Yoon's removal from office. It marked Yoon's first appearance before an investigative body in approximately five months, after his arrest and questioning by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in January.
In early January, the CIO's attempt to detain Yoon was thwarted due to a prolonged standoff with presidential security personnel, leading to his detention on January 15. This made Yoon the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. Yoon did not address reporters' questions when entering or exiting the building.