Ousted South Korean president Yoon refuses questioning on martial law charges

Suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol failed to attend a scheduled questioning by anti-corruption investigators on Thursday following his arrest the previous day. This caused another delay in the investigation into Yoon over charges related to his attempt to declare martial law last month.

Lawyer Yoon Kap-keun told reporters earlier in the day that the embattled president would not attend the questioning but did not specify the reason for his absence. Investigators have 48 hours from Wednesday’s arrest to question Yoon. Once that time expires, they must either release him or issue another warrant for his continued detention.

On Wednesday, Yoon became the first head of state to be arrested in South Korean history. The Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO) and police investigators detained Yoon at his official residence in Seoul and attempted to question him at the CIO office in Gwacheon, south of the capital. The arrest follows a previous attempt on January 3 that failed due to a dispute between investigators and Yoon’s security service.

Also on Thursday, the Constitutional Court began the second hearing of the case regarding Yoon’s dismissal. The hearing will determine whether court judges will uphold a mid-December vote by lawmakers to remove Yoon from office.

Yoon says probe ‘illegal’

The first hearing was held on Tuesday in Yoon’s absence, and the suspended president was not scheduled to attend the hearing on Thursday. The trial is being conducted separately from Yoon’s charges of sedition and abuse of office. Polling data show that the majority of South Koreans support Yoon’s dismissal.

In a recorded statement broadcast on television after his detention on Wednesday, Yoon claimed that he only agreed to be arrested to prevent ‘bloodshed’ in the form of a potential violent conflict. However, he described the investigation as ‘illegal.’

South Korean media lamented what they described as a ‘shameful incident’ in the country’s history. The centre-right Donga Ilbo newspaper criticized Yoon for his efforts to portray himself as suffering from an unfair legal process. “Looking at President Yoon’s ridiculous behaviour so far, it seems that he is under a serious delusion that he is being unfairly victimised,” the newspaper said.

The newspaper expressed hope that the political crisis caused by Yoon’s martial law decision would eventually add flexibility to South Korea’s political order: “Now, under the judgement of law and history, it remains for President Yoon to take full responsibility and strengthen our democracy through this process.”