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President Yoon a no-show, this time for CIO questioning over insurrection charges

Published: 18 Dec. 2024, 16:25 Updated: 18 Dec. 2024, 16:27

President Yoon Suk Yeol bows to the public at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul, on Nov. 7. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol did not attend a questioning session by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) scheduled for Wednesday.

Four members of the joint investigation headquarters were dispatched to the presidential office on Monday and attempted to notify Yoon to appear at the CIO building in the Government Complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

An official from the headquarters told reporters Monday that the investigative body would attempt to notify Yoon again by visiting the president's official residence. The official also said a notification had been sent to Yoon's residence via express mail.

Both notifications were rejected by Yoon.

Under current regulations, the CIO prosecutor cannot directly request arrest or detention warrants from the court but must do so through the prosecution. The decision to question Yoon through the CIO instead of the prosecution appears to have been motivated by concerns that the prosecution might reject such a request due to ongoing competition over the custody of Yoon.

After Yoon decided not to comply with the CIO’s questioning, the prosecution handed over Yoon and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min’s case to the office on Wednesday. All investigations into Yoon will now be conducted by the CIO.

The CIO decided to roll back requests for case handovers for the remaining suspects related to the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.

Oh Dong-woon, the head of the CIO, and Lee Jin-dong, the deputy prosecutor general of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, reached the agreement during a face-to-face meeting Wednesday morning.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]