Yoon refuses to attend interrogation – DW – 01/16/2025

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will not participate in a second round of questioning, his lawyer said Thursday, a day after his arrest and detention following his failed attempt to impose martial law in December.

“President Yoon is not well and he fully explained his position yesterday, so there is nothing left to question,” one of his lawyers, Yoon Kab-keun, told Yonhap News Agency .

His interrogation was due to resume on Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. (05:00 GMT).

Along with the criminal investigation against Yoon, the Constitutional Court is expected to hold a second hearing in his impeachment trial. The court’s decision will determine whether Yoon will be permanently removed from office or reinstated as president.

First sitting president arrested

Yoon was arrested in a dramatic standoff on Wednesday, becoming South Korea’s first sitting president to be arrested.

Hundreds of security officers scaled the barricades and scaled the compound to the house where Yoon was staying, surrounded by guards.

He was interrogated for hours on Wednesday, but exercised his right to remain silent and was transferred to the Seoul detention center. He should have spent the night in an isolation cell.

Authorities can detain him for 48 hours, after which they will need a new warrant to detain him for another 20 days. They would then have enough time to formalize an indictment.

A hearing to examine the legality of the arrest warrant used against him is scheduled for later Thursday, after his lawyers requested a review.

An official from the Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO) said it had prepared a questionnaire of more than 200 pages for Yoon.

Why was Yoon detained?

Yoon’s detention is the latest fallout from his brief attempt to impose martial law in December, which escalated into a major political and constitutional crisis in the country.

The former prosecutor faces allegations of organizing the insurrection and could face life in prison or even the death penalty if convicted.

Prior to his detention, he evaded arrest for weeks by remaining in his residential compound, protected by members of the Presidential Security Service (PSS).

Yoon emphasizes that his investigation was illegal and that the arrest warrant used to detain him was invalid.

Several opinion polls indicate that a majority of South Koreans support his impeachment, but naturally his loyal supporters oppose it.

tg/rmt (AFP, AP, Reuters)