Seoul: Arrested former President Yoon Suk Yeol failed to appear Friday for questioning by a special counsel over his attempt to impose martial law. Yoon, who has been held at the Seoul Detention Center since his second arrest Thursday, submitted a written reason for absence to special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team ahead of the scheduled questioning at 2 p.m.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon cited health reasons for his absence. Assistant special counsel Park Ji-young stated during a press briefing that the special counsel has requested the Seoul Detention Center to provide documentation proving Yoon's health issues, which purportedly prevented him from attending the questioning session.
In the absence of a satisfactory explanation for Yoon's non-appearance, Park indicated that the special counsel might resort to legal measures to compel his attendance. "You can assume we will proceed in line with the steps under the Criminal Procedure Code," she mentioned.
Yoon was detained early Thursday following the issuance of an arrest warrant by the court. He faces five significant charges, including the alleged infringement of Cabinet members' rights by selectively summoning them to a meeting shortly before declaring martial law on December 3.
The special counsel, led by Cho, further alleges that Yoon fabricated a false martial law declaration document after December 3 to legitimize his actions. This document was reportedly signed by then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and then Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun before being discarded.
Additionally, Yoon is accused of directing the presidential spokesperson for foreign press to issue misleading statements following the martial law attempt. He allegedly instructed the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to obstruct investigators' efforts to detain him in early January and ordered the deletion of call records from secure phones used by three military commanders.
This arrest marks the second time Yoon has been taken into custody. He was initially arrested in January while still in office, though he was released in March after a court approved his request to cancel the arrest.