Yoon's Presence for Inquiry on Wednesday Doubtful, According to Legal Representative
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Seoul, Dec 24 (NationPress) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is not anticipated to be present for questioning this week as per the request from the investigation team addressing the martial law case, according to his lawyer on Tuesday.
The investigating team is aiming to question Yoon directly regarding his alleged role in the unsuccessful imposition of martial law on December 3, facing accusations of insurrection and misuse of power, and has requested that he attend questioning on Wednesday.
Attorney Seok Dong-hyeon indicated that Yoon prioritizes the proceedings at the Constitutional Court concerning his impeachment and intends to release a statement regarding his stance on the trial following Christmas Day.
“We consider it improbable that he will be able to attend tomorrow,” Seok informed reporters, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
“The president believes that the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial process should take precedence, given that the National Assembly has initiated the impeachment procedure,” he mentioned.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) has issued summons to Yoon on two occasions, requesting his presence for interrogation as part of its investigation into his brief order for martial law.
Yoon did not respond to the first summons, which requested his appearance the previous Wednesday.
Despite the comments from Yoon's lawyer suggesting the president is likely to miss Wednesday's questioning, CIO chief Oh Dong-woon reiterated the request for Yoon to attend.
“We are hopeful that the president will allocate time to appear at the CIO by tomorrow,” Oh stated to lawmakers during a plenary session of the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee, adding that CIO officials are willing to wait beyond the 10 am start time for the questioning.
When questioned about whether the CIO intends to seek a warrant for Yoon's formal arrest, Oh remarked that no decisions have been made, but noted that the office would consider further actions based on the urgency and seriousness of the matter.
