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Martial law special counsel issues final summons for obstinate Yoon

Published: 01 Jul. 2025, 19:21

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol leaves the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul after questioning on June 29. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk’s team investigating the alleged insurrection by former President Yoon Suk Yeol has issued a final summons after he failed to attend a second scheduled round of questioning on Tuesday.

“We have delivered a final notice to appear,” said special counsel Park Ji-young during a press briefing Tuesday. “Former President Yoon must appear at 9 a.m. on July 5.”

Park said Yoon’s legal team indicated in a written statement that the former president could appear after July 5. “If he fails to show up, we believe the court may grant a warrant, seeing as all legal conditions have been met,” Park said.

Yoon had previously ignored a summons scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, prompting the special counsel to suggest it may now move to initiate compulsory measures, including an arrest warrant. On Monday, Park warned that if Yoon failed to appear, the team would consider the “final measures outlined by the Criminal Procedure Act,” which may include a detention warrant.

The investigation team first summoned Yoon for questioning on Saturday. After completing that round of interrogation, it scheduled a follow-up for Monday at 9 a.m., but Yoon’s legal team requested a change. The team partially accepted and rescheduled the session to 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

Reporters await former President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul on July 1. [YONHAP]

However, at around 4 p.m. on Monday, Yoon’s lawyers submitted a written statement saying that the former president could not attend on Tuesday and requested a new date, citing his health and a full-day court hearing scheduled for Thursday at the Seoul Central District Court regarding his trial on charges of leading an insurrection. They proposed rescheduling to July 5 or 6.

The special counsel’s team rejected the request and considered Tuesday's absence unjustified noncompliance.

"If he fails to appear again, we will take immediate action,” said a counsel team official.

Yoon’s legal team continues to deliberate over whether to comply with the new summons, with some pushing to avoid a scenario that would trigger compulsory measures.

“Regardless of the aggressive nature of the special counsel’s investigation, many believe that coercive action against a former president should be avoided,” a lawyer representing Yoon said.

Kang Eui-gu, former secretary at the presidential office, leaves the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul after questioning on June 30. [YONHAP]

Meanwhile, the special probe is analyzing testimony given the previous day by Kang Eui-gu, former secretary at the presidential office, who was summoned as a witness. Kang reportedly stated that on Dec. 5, two days after the initial declaration of martial law, a new version of the declaration was drafted, this time adding signature fields for the prime minister and the defense minister — elements absent in the earlier document. Kang is considered to have been a close aide to Yoon.

The team also uncovered evidence suggesting former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo initially signed the revised martial law declaration but later asked that it be discarded. Investigators suspect that Yoon’s aides may have created the revised document in an attempt to correct procedural flaws and shield the president from legal repercussions after the initial martial law plan failed.

The special counsel also plans to summon Han to verify the authenticity of his earlier testimony, in which he stated to both the National Assembly and investigators that he had never signed any martial law declaration.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY NA UN0CHAE, SUK GYEONG-MIN [[email protected]]