Seoul: Special counsel Cho Eun-suk has summoned former President Yoon Suk Yeol to appear for questioning regarding his martial law bid this weekend. This move suggests that the investigation team may seek a detention warrant if Yoon fails to comply.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon was instructed to appear at Cho's office at 9 a.m. on the specified day for further questioning following an initial round on Saturday. However, the former president did not appear as scheduled.
"The special counsel has notified former President Yoon to appear by 9 a.m. on July 5," Park Ji-young, a deputy to the special counsel, stated during a press briefing, emphasizing that this is the final summons. She added that failure to comply could lead to the court issuing a detention warrant, provided all requirements are met.
The Seoul Central District Court had previously rejected the special counsel team's initial request for a detention warrant last week. Yoon's absence on Tuesday was anticipated, as his lawyers had repeatedly sought a postponement due to his health and a scheduled hearing related to his criminal trial on insurrection charges.
While Cho's team accepted the request for a postponement once, moving the date from Monday to Tuesday, they declined to make further adjustments. This incident marks the first occasion that Yoon has defied the special counsel's summons.