Did Former President Yoon of South Korea Face Special Counsel Over Martial Law Attempts?

Seoul, June 28 (NationPress) Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was questioned by a special counsel team on Saturday regarding insurrection charges linked to his December 3 martial law declaration.

Yoon arrived at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul at 9:56 a.m., marking his first appearance before an investigative body in nearly five months, following his arrest and questioning by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) back in January.

This inquiry is significant as it pertains to insurrection charges stemming from his controversial martial law attempt. He is also accused of instructing the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to physically obstruct his arrest when the CIO sought to execute a warrant against him in January, as well as ordering the deletion of records from secure phones used by military commanders shortly after his failed martial law attempt.

Following the martial law bid, Yoon faced three summonses from the CIO in December but declined to comply with the inquiries.

The CIO's attempt to detain him in early January was thwarted due to a standoff with presidential security, and he was ultimately detained on January 15 at the presidential residence in central Seoul, making him the first sitting South Korean President to be arrested.

His legal team contends that the former President skipped the summonses because the detention warrant issued by the CIO lacked legal basis.

Starting at 10:14 a.m., the special counsel team concentrated on questioning Yoon regarding the obstruction of his arrest in January.

In the afternoon, further inquiries will be made about a Cabinet meeting he held just before the brief martial law imposition.

Yoon made his way to the prosecutors' office in a black van, entering the building without addressing reporters. His team had requested a private entry via the underground parking lot, which was denied.

Shortly after his arrival, Yoon's legal team strongly criticized the special counsel team, labeling the situation a 'political show' regarding the former President's summoning, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

The legal team stated, 'The special counsel team must not unilaterally notify the suspect or publicly expose the suspect's appearance in a manner that infringes upon their rights.'

This marks Yoon's first questioning inside the prosecutors' office where he previously served as a prosecutor and led a special counsel team investigating former President Park Geun-hye's scandal.