Former President Yoon Suk Yeol leaves the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office on Sunday after being questioned by the special counsel over his martial law declaration. (Yonhap)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol leaves the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office on Sunday after being questioned by the special counsel over his martial law declaration. (Yonhap)

Special counsel decides to summon Yoon again on Saturday

The special counsel investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of insurrection and treason plans to summon him again later this week after he failed to comply with a Tuesday summons.

Yoon was asked to appear for questioning at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office at 9 a.m. on Tuesday in connection with his martial law declaration late last year, but he did not show up.

The no-show is the first time he has ignored a summons from the special counsel.

His legal team issued an official statement Monday, notifying the media that it had submitted a request to change the date to either Saturday or Sunday, citing health reasons.

“It is not possible for Yoon to appear on Monday, a date set unilaterally by the special counsel and disclosed without prior consultation,” said Yoon’s legal representative, adding that the schedule for the investigation can be negotiated in light of Yoon's ongoing criminal trial and other relevant circumstances. He did not elaborate on what Yoon's health issues were.

Meanwhile, the special counsel team has opted to summon Yoon again on Saturday.

"We notified Yoon to appear for questioning on Saturday. If he decides not to show up this time, we believe the court will issue the warrant to enforce him to be investigated," said the assistant special prosecutor in a press briefing on Tuesday.

"The Saturday summons is the last notice. Yoon's legal representatives also submitted an official statement that Yoon can attend questioning on Saturday or Sunday," she added.

The special counsel team previously stated that it held sufficient discussions after receiving and reviewing the statements submitted by (Yoon's) legal representatives, refuting claims made by Yoon's attorneys.

The special counsel team was also open to considering the request of a warrant to have Yoon arrested if he defies yet another summons.

“If we apply for a second arrest warrant, the scope of the charges will be broader than the previous warrant as (some of) the investigation has already been conducted,” the assistant special counsel explained in a separate briefing Monday.

The special counsel team previously sought a court-issued arrest warrant for Yoon on June 24, citing his repeated refusal to appear for police questioning since early June. But the court rejected the request as Yoon expressed his willingness to comply with the special counsel’s summons.

Though the former president appeared for the first round of questioning on Saturday, the questioning was suspended as Yoon refused to enter the interrogation room and demanded that a different investigator be assigned to his case.

In January, Yoon refused to be interrogated by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials after the CIO detained him at the Seoul Detention Center.

Yoon remained silent and his attorneys refused to cooperate with the questioning, claiming the CIO did not have the legal authority or jurisdiction to investigate Yoon as he was still president at the time.

The special counsel team warned Monday that any attempt to obstruct the investigation or violate legal and societal norms would result in measures prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Act, even if Yoon appears for the interrogation.


sj_lee@heraldcorp.com