Seoul: A special counsel team has temporarily suspended the execution of a detention warrant intended to interrogate former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is currently jailed on charges of election meddling. The decision was made on Thursday, citing concerns over potential injuries arising from Yoon's "stubborn refusal" to comply.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this marks the second failed attempt by special counsel Min Joong-ki's team to execute the warrant, following an initial effort last Friday. The team reported that they directed the Seoul Detention Center to proceed with the warrant execution at approximately 8:25 a.m. However, after using physical force and receiving on-site opinions that Yoon's resistance could lead to injury, they decided to suspend the operation at around 9:40 a.m.
Yoon has been detained at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang since July 10, following accusations linked to an attempted imposition of martial law in December. The special counsel team sought to execute the warrant after Yoon ignored two previous summonses last week.
The first attempt to bring Yoon in for questioning was thwarted when he resisted by lying on the floor of his cell, dressed only in his underwear. The current warrant is set to expire by the end of Thursday, leading to speculation that the team might apply for a new warrant or potentially indict Yoon without interrogation if physical compliance remains unfeasible.
Both Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, are implicated in allegations of receiving complimentary opinion polls from Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, ahead of the 2022 presidential election. This was reportedly in exchange for facilitating the nomination of former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun for a parliamentary by-election later that year. Kim recently underwent nearly 11 hours of questioning related to multiple allegations, including election meddling and bribery.
This is the second detention warrant for Yoon. He was initially apprehended in January by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and detained on charges related to leading an insurrection via his martial law attempt but was released in March.
Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho has instructed the Seoul Detention Center to "actively cooperate" with the special counsel team's efforts. The team has urged Yoon to comply with the legal process, drawing parallels to his previous actions as a prosecutor in 2017, when he forcibly brought in a suspect for questioning over corruption allegations.