Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appears at the Seoul Central District Court in the capital on June 23, 2025, to attend the eighth hearing of his trial over insurrection charges in connection with his declaration of martial law. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 24 (Korea Bizwire) — The independent counsel investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial law sought a warrant Tuesday to detain him after he repeatedly snubbed summonses for questioning over alleged obstruction of official duties and other charges, officials said.
The special counsel, led by Cho Eun-suk, filed for the warrant against Yoon with the Seoul Central District Court, citing Yoon’s refusal to comply with three summonses from the police for questioning over charges related to his Dec. 3 martial law declaration.
Before transferring the case to the special counsel, the police summoned Yoon for questioning on June 5, 12 and 19, but he snubbed all three requests.
“The counsel, which took over the case Monday, decided to file for an arrest warrant in consideration of the investigation’s continuity,” the investigation team said in a notice.
The action came shortly after the special counsel began operations last Wednesday, following the passage of a bill in early June mandating an independent probe into insurrection charges against Yoon.
“Former President Yoon … is the only person (of many suspects involved) who has not complied with the investigation,” the investigation team said.
“As the special counsel’s investigation is bound by a time limit and is expected to cover a wide range of allegations, we have no intention of being dragged around (by Yoon),” it added, vowing a “stern” investigation. The special counsel has up to 150 days to complete the probe.
Yoon’s lawyers immediately denounced the action as an “ambush,” protesting that the special counsel filed for a warrant without even issuing a summons of its own.
“We make it clear that it is unfair for the special counsel to seek a warrant right after starting operations and former President Yoon will comply with its summons in accordance with due process,” the lawyers said in a statement.
Yoon has been booked as a suspect on charges he ordered the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to block the execution of a detention warrant against him by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in early January.
He is also suspected of ordering the PSS to delete records from secure phones used by three military commanders shortly after his attempt to impose martial law failed.
Yoon’s lawyer has cited what he described as the illegal execution of a detention warrant by the CIO as the reason why Yoon defied the summonses.
The court is expected to reach a decision on the warrant request after Wednesday.
(Yonhap)
