Yoon Suk Yeol to appear before special counsel on Tuesday after delay request granted

The special counsel team has summoned former President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, after his legal team requested a delay to the original Monday schedule.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol exits the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office building in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on June 29. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The special counsel team has summoned former President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, after his legal team requested a delay to the original Monday schedule.

Led by Cho Eun-suk, the special counsel team is investigating the alleged insurrection and foreign aggression tied to Yoon's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, said on Sunday that it would proceed in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act if former President Yoon fails to comply with the new summons schedule without a valid reason.

Despite accommodating the defense’s request to adjust the date, the team suggested it could consider coercive measures, including seeking an arrest warrant, should Yoon continue to ignore the summons.

Park Ji-young, assistant special counsel on the insurrection case, said during a briefing on Sunday that the team had received a request from Yoon’s legal representatives and issued a revised notice requesting his appearance at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

“Coordination over the summons schedule does not imply an agreement,” Park said. “The decision rests with the investigating authority, and the date was finalized after reviewing the investigation schedule and other necessities.”

Park added that the investigation originally set for Monday had effectively been canceled out of consideration for the defense’s requests. “We also regard the health concerns and need for trial preparation as valid, which is why we rescheduled the summons for July 1.”

The special counsel had initially summoned Yoon for a second round of questioning at 9 a.m. on June 30, following an earlier investigation that took place on Saturday. In response, Yoon’s team of attorneys asked to push the date back to after July 3, citing the need to ensure adequate consultation with legal counsel, ongoing court proceedings and his health condition.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol exits the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office building in Seocho District, southern Seoul on June 29. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Park also revealed that two police officers had been requested from the National Police Agency to be seconded to the special counsel’s office to handle an investigation into alleged obstruction of justice by Yoon’s legal team.

Citing the relevant clause in the Special Counsel Act, Park emphasized that dispatched judicial police officers work under the direction of the special counsel and can carry out investigative duties.

“This has already been established in case law, including during the Choi Soon-sil abuse of power trial,” Park said. “It’s contradictory to claim that these officers can join search and seizure operations but not participate in interrogations.”

The warning came after Yoon’s defense team rejected the questioning of Park Chang-hwan, head of the Serious Crime Investigation Division at the National Police Agency, during Saturday's questioning and again on Sunday, arguing that interrogation by judicial police officers violated the Criminal Procedure Act. The special counsel said this constituted obstruction of justice and warned of a separate probe into the conduct.

“Park Chang-hwan never took part in executing the arrest warrant for Yoon,” the assistant counsel said. “According to the police, he carried out arrest warrants for Kim Sung-hoon, former deputy director of the Presidential Security Service, and directly presented the warrant to Yoon’s attorney Song Jin-ho at the scene.”

Park also accused the defense of misrepresenting facts.

“The legal team is falsely claiming that it never ignored a police summons when the special counsel sought an arrest warrant,” Park said. “This may be considered obstruction under the Special Counsel Act. We will not overlook this any further.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY HYEON YE-SEUL [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]