Seoul, Oct 15 (NationPress) The former President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, made a voluntary appearance before a special counsel team on Wednesday, just before investigators were set to execute a warrant for his forcible detention. This move came amidst allegations surrounding his unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law, as noted by assistant special counsel Park Ji-young during a press briefing.

Prior to this, Yoon had disregarded multiple summons from special counsel teams investigating various allegations against him and his spouse, Kim Keon Hee, following his second arrest in July.

Park revealed that Yoon's appearance was prompted by a court's issuance of a detention warrant on October 1, with the execution ordered for the next day at the Seoul Detention Center, where he is currently incarcerated.

"The Seoul Detention Center was prepared to carry out the detention warrant around 8 a.m. today, taking into account his trial schedule," she stated. "When prison officials informed him of the warrant issuance and the execution plans, former President Yoon expressed his desire to appear voluntarily, thus averting the warrant's execution."

The special counsel team had sought Yoon's testimony on two occasions, specifically on September 24 and September 30, regarding allegations that he had ordered drone deployments to North Korea last October to provoke a response, using it as a pretext for a future martial law declaration, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

Despite imposing martial law on December 3, Yoon retracted it hours later after the National Assembly voted to annul it.

Currently, the former president faces two separate trials related to his martial law declaration, one of which involves charges of leading an insurrection and abusing his power.

Further indictments are anticipated from the special counsel team regarding charges of inciting foreign aggression linked to the drone dispatch.

In a statement, Yoon's legal representatives indicated that he opted for a voluntary appearance on Wednesday to lessen the burden on prison officers, having learned of their "significant distress" during an earlier detention attempt in August.

They also asserted that the special counsel team unilaterally requested the detention warrant, breaching fundamental principles of lawful procedures.

"At approximately 7:30 a.m. today, prison officers attempted to execute the warrant unexpectedly before the suspect had the opportunity to freshen up. To alleviate their burden, the suspect dressed and appeared voluntarily without even washing his face," they stated.