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Tension rises between special counsel and Yoon, but truth must prevail

Published: 30 Jun. 2025, 00:00 Updated: 30 Jun. 2025, 13:57

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho District on June 28. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, under investigation for allegedly orchestrating an insurrection, appeared for questioning by the special counsel team led by Cho Eun-seok on June 28. While the session officially lasted around 15 hours, actual interrogation time was limited to roughly five hours due to procedural disputes between the two sides.

Given the public’s demand for a prompt and transparent investigation into the Dec. 3 martial law case, the limited progress made in the first round of questioning is a cause for concern. The special counsel team has summoned Yoon again for a second session scheduled for today. It is hoped that this time, the investigation can proceed without unnecessary friction and yield substantial progress toward uncovering the truth.

At the center of the dispute during the first session was the involvement of a senior police official, Chief Superintendent Park Chang-hwan, in the interrogation. Yoon’s legal team refused to proceed with Park present, arguing that he was among the officers named in a criminal complaint they had filed with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. That complaint accused several police officials of misconduct while attempting to execute a detention warrant earlier this year.

The special counsel team countered that Park had been leading the investigation from the beginning and was best equipped to carry out the interrogation, stressing that his inclusion was based solely on investigative efficiency and logic. Regardless of who was right, the drawn-out procedural argument only served to waste valuable time and did little to reassure a public eager for clarity and accountability.

Yoon must also remember that during his detention warrant hearing, he pledged to comply fully with the special counsel’s summons. Any attempt to backtrack on that promise or avoid questioning through legal technicalities would not sit well with the public. Other key figures in the case, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, remain in custody during their trials. Compared to them, Yoon’s release pending trial already raises questions of fairness.

As a former president, Yoon has a responsibility to cooperate with the investigation and help uncover the truth behind the allegations of insurrection. His cooperation is not only a legal obligation but a moral one.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends the eighth trial on insurrection charges at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, western Seoul on June 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The dispute over who should conduct the interrogation may be viewed as a symbolic power struggle. Yoon’s camp may perceive the special counsel’s approach as lacking deference, while the investigators emphasize that he is a suspect, not a privileged figure. Still, the priority must be a thorough and impartial investigation, not a contest of egos.

The special counsel’s effective investigation window is capped at 150 days, excluding preparation time. With many unanswered questions remaining after earlier investigations by prosecutors and police, time is of the essence. The special counsel is under no obligation to bend to a suspect’s demands, but neither should it waste time on avoidable conflict. As long as the principle of truth-finding is upheld, some procedural flexibility may be warranted.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.