Seoul: Lawyers representing former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday requested a change to the schedule for his upcoming summons by the special counsel team. This request relates to the ongoing investigation into insurrection charges connected to Yoon's December 3 declaration of martial law.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the special counsel had initially notified Yoon to appear for a second round of questioning on Monday, following a marathon session over the weekend. Yoon's legal team criticized the schedule, stating, "It is an extremely tight schedule that does not take into account the suspect's health and his right to prepare for ongoing trials." They confirmed having submitted a written request to reschedule the appearance.
The session on Sunday saw Yoon leaving the Seoul High Prosecutors Office after 15 hours of questioning concerning allegations that he ordered the Presidential Security Service to block his arrest. The special counsel team intends to continue summoning Yoon until the investigation concludes.
During the marathon session, which lasted about five hours, special prosecutors questioned Yoon regarding a Cabinet meeting preceding his martial law declaration, his alleged attempts to impede the National Assembly's resolution to lift martial law, and treason charges. The questioning session was briefly halted due to objections from Yoon's lawyers concerning the presence of a police investigator they deemed unfit.
Yoon's legal team reported that he answered the questions to the best of his knowledge. The special counsel team plans to resume questioning Yoon at 9 a.m. Monday, focusing on allegations that he ordered officials to delete records of secure phones involved in martial law operations.
Yoon's legal team is engaging with the special counsel to discuss the scheduling of future sessions. Song Jin-ho, Yoon's lawyer, stated, "(He) will obviously respond to a summons that follows due process."
This inquiry comes two weeks after the special counsel's investigation commenced and 85 days following Yoon's removal from office. It was 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. The CIO's initial attempt to detain Yoon in early January failed due to a standoff with presidential security, but he was detained on January 15, marking the first instance of a sitting South Korean president being arrested.
Yoon refrained from responding to reporters' questions upon entering and leaving the building.