Seoul: A special counsel team has decided to halt the execution of a detention warrant intended to interrogate former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is currently jailed on charges of election meddling. The suspension was announced on Thursday, citing potential injury risks due to Yoon's "stubborn refusal."
According to Yonhap News Agency, this marks the second unsuccessful attempt by special counsel Min Joong-ki's team to enforce the detention warrant for Yoon, following an initial attempt last Friday. The team informed the press that they had instructed the Seoul Detention Center to execute the warrant at approximately 8:25 a.m., using physical force. However, due to concerns raised on-site regarding possible injuries from Yoon's resistance, the execution was suspended around 9:40 a.m.
Yoon's legal representatives condemned the attempt to detain him as an act of "public shaming." They argued that even with a detention warrant for investigation purposes, Yoon should not be detained if he chooses to exercise his right to remain silent.
The former president has been held at Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang since July 10, due to his alleged involvement in an attempt to impose martial law in December. The special counsel team made their second attempt to enforce the warrant after Yoon ignored summonses twice last week.
Previously, an attempt to question Yoon last Friday was thwarted when he resisted by lying on the floor of his cell, clad only in his underwear. The current warrant is set to expire at the end of Thursday, prompting speculation that the team may request a new warrant or proceed with indicting Yoon without interrogation if forced compliance proves challenging.
Yoon, along with his wife Kim Keon Hee, faces allegations of receiving free opinion polls from Myung Tae-kyun, a self-claimed power broker, ahead of the 2022 presidential election. This was purportedly in exchange for securing a nomination for former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun in a parliamentary by-election later that year. Kim, the former first lady, was questioned for nearly 11 hours on Wednesday regarding allegations of election meddling, bribery, and stock manipulation, making her the first spouse of a former or sitting president to appear as a suspect in a criminal investigation.
This is the second detention warrant issued for Yoon. He was previously detained in January at the official presidential residence by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials under a court-issued warrant, related to charges of leading an insurrection through his martial law attempt, until his unexpected release in March.
Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho has directed the Seoul Detention Center to collaborate with the special counsel team in executing the warrant. The team has also urged the former president to comply with legal procedures. During a press briefing on Monday, assistant special counsel Moon Hong-ju referenced Yoon's past actions as a prosecutor when he forcibly brought in Choi Soon-sil in 2017, a friend of then-President Park Geun-hye, for questioning over corruption allegations involving both figures. Moon stated, "We well know how former President Yoon investigated and are simply trying to apply the same methods."