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Ex-President Yoon sits for first questioning by Dec. 3 special counsel team

Published: 29 Jun. 2025, 20:00 Updated: 29 Jun. 2025, 20:11

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol walks into the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office building in Seocho District, southern Seoul on June 28. [KIM KYOUNG-ROK]

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol underwent his first in-person questioning by the special counsel team investigating his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, but only five of the 15 hours he spent at the prosecution office were used for actual interrogation due to disputes over investigators.

On Saturday, Yoon became the first figure among the targets of the three key special counsel probes to be formally questioned in person. However, Yoon stalled the investigation by demanding that the lead interrogator be changed and refusing to be questioned.

The counsel, due to the vast number of allegations against Yoon, summoned the ex-president for an additional session on Monday. Yoon’s legal team has requested that the next session be rescheduled to after Thursday.

Morning standoff delays investigation

The special counsel team plans to continue questioning Yoon on charges of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant and ordering the deletion of secure phone records, according to the team on Sunday.

Additional investigation will cover the decision-making process around the martial law declaration and allegations that Yoon interfered with the National Assembly’s efforts to nullify it.

The Saturday session began at 10:14 a.m. and ran for about an hour, focusing on Yoon’s alleged obstruction of law enforcement when he allegedly directed the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to block his arrest in January.

After a lunch break, the special counsel attempted to resume questioning at 1:30 p.m., but Yoon refused to cooperate, remaining in an adjacent waiting room. He objected to being interrogated by Senior Superintendent Park Chang-hwan of the National Police Agency’s Major Crimes Division, claiming, “The assailant is interrogating the victim.”

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

Yoon has filed legal complaints against Park and several police and Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) officials, alleging unlawful arrest attempts. The special counsel team countered that Park did not participate in the original arrest effort. The dispute caused a three-hour standoff.

Despite objections, the special counsel plans to continue deploying police investigators in future sessions, which may reignite tensions with Yoon’s legal team.

Night session proceeds smoothly

At 4:45 p.m., the special counsel reassigned two prosecutors, Kim Jeong-guk and Cho Jae-cheol, to question Yoon on separate charges, including "foreign aggression" — an alleged attempt to provoke a warlike situation with foreign countries to justify the declaration of martial law.

Investigators questioned Yoon about whether he directed military leaders to provoke North Korea using drones or defector balloons, and whether he pressured the National Assembly via party leadership to block a resolution nullifying martial law. Yoon reportedly answered questions with sincerity.

After a dinner break at 7:25 p.m., Yoon returned to questioning from 8:25 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. He reviewed the transcript for nearly three hours and left the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office at 12:59 a.m. on Sunday.

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

Although referred to as “Mr. President” in person, Yoon was identified as the “suspect” in the official records.

Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk did not directly participate in the questioning but oversaw the investigation remotely.

Yoon’s attorneys criticized the follow-up summons for Monday, calling it “unilateral and rushed.”

“Given his [the former president’s] health and the ongoing court proceedings, another summons just two days later is overly burdensome and hinders his right to a proper defense,” they said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM BO-REUM [[email protected]]