Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, Skips Prosecutors' Summons

Seoul, Dec 15 (NationPress) Prosecutors have reported that President Yoon Suk Yeol did not heed their summons set for Sunday, and they plan to issue a subsequent order shortly.

The special prosecution unit investigating Yoon's failed martial law declaration revealed that they had dispatched a summons to him last Wednesday, requesting his presence at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for interrogation at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Reports from Yonhap news agency confirmed that Yoon was absent.

Prosecutors are set to send a second summons to Yoon on Monday. He is notably the first sitting president to be summoned by prosecutors, while four former presidents faced interrogation only after completing their terms. Notably, Park Geun-hye was questioned post-impeachment in 2017.

A prosecution representative indicated that the summons was sent to Yoon's official office, and its delivery was verified.

However, the representative refrained from confirming whether Yoon provided any justifications for his absence.

Legal sources reveal that Yoon communicated to prosecutors that he could not attend the questioning due to not having secured legal representation yet.

It is understood that Yoon has sought advice from his former colleague, Kim Hong-il, who previously led the Korea Communications Commission, along with other legal experts connected to the president.

In a public address broadcasted last Thursday, Yoon defended his martial law declaration as a governance measure, asserting that he exercised his presidential authority to safeguard the nation against an opposition that hindered the government. He claimed that his actions were not subject to judicial review and expressed his determination to resist impeachment or investigation.

Should Yoon ignore the second summons, prosecutors may pursue an arrest. Under criminal law, an arrest warrant can be issued if there are substantial grounds to suspect a crime has been committed, and if the suspect fails to comply with a summons without valid justification.

The prosecution representative mentioned that discussions regarding the potential for Yoon's arrest would not be addressed at this time, emphasizing that prosecutors would adhere to due process.

Yoon faces allegations of misusing his authority to declare martial law for unconstitutional and unlawful reasons and ordering military leaders to mobilize troops to the National Assembly and detain key political figures.

As investigators look into whether Yoon orchestrated an insurrection, the suspended president is currently under a travel restriction.

Yoon was impeached following a parliamentary vote on Saturday, just 11 days after his martial law declaration, though the National Assembly rejected the impeachment shortly thereafter.

He is currently suspended from his presidential duties while awaiting the Constitutional Court's decision on his potential reinstatement or removal from office. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is acting as president in the interim.

Prosecutors and police are also interrogating military leaders regarding the martial law directive.

Among those military leaders, Capital Defense Commander Lt. Gen. Lee Jin-woo and Army Special Warfare Commander Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun have both testified that Yoon instructed them to 'drag out' lawmakers from the parliament to prevent them from revoking the martial law order in the early hours of December 4.