Special counsel seeks warrant to arrest Yoon
"We have repeatedly asked former President Yoon to appear for questioning scheduled at 10 a.m. today, but Yoon did not attend without any explanations," special prosecutor Oh Jeong-hee said during a regular press briefing. "It is why we have decided to file an arrest warrant against former President Yoon around 2:12 p.m. today with (the Seoul Central District Court)."
Yoon, who is already in detention on a separate insurrection charge, has so far snubbed two summons by the team led by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki. The team initially asked the former president to appear for questioning at the special counsel's office at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, but Yoon refused to cooperate.
A court-issued arrest warrant allows the special counsel team to deploy its investigators to forcibly bring in a suspect for questioning if they fail to appear after being summoned. This includes suspects who are already detained.
The former president also rejected the first summons from the team, which asked that he appear for questioning Tuesday. He is currently detained at Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, over separate charges tied to his failed Dec. 3 martial law.
Assistant special counsel Moon Hong-ju shared in a briefing the previous day that the team is "considering compulsory investigation, as well as requesting an arrest warrant," if Yoon fails to appear for Wednesday's questioning. Moon added that the team had not received any updates from the detention center regarding Yoon's health issues.
Yoon's legal representative reportedly stated that the former president's health is in poor condition, citing severe aggravation of his diabetes and eye conditions.
The special counsel team intends to question the former president over allegations of violating the Public Official Election Act.
The controversy centers around Yoon's ties to self-proclaimed power broker and pollster Myung Tae-kyun. Myung allegedly asked the former president — then a presidential candidate — to help ensure former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun's nomination for the 2022 by-elections. In return, Myung allegedly conducted favorable polls for then-presidential candidate Yoon free of charge ahead of the 2022 presidential election.
Former first lady Kim is also suspected of interfering in the nomination process.
The special investigation into Yoon is also looking into allegations that he made a false statement during a People Power Party presidential primary debate in October 2021 regarding his wife's suspected involvement in a stock manipulation scandal.
A forced summons attempt against Yoon was previously made by a separate special counsel hoping to proceed with its investigation in mid-July.
The separate special counsel team — led by Cho Eun-suk and investigating Yoon's alleged insurrection and treason — requested that correctional authorities bring Yoon to the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office for questioning on July 14.
The Seoul Detention Center notified the special counsel team that it was unable to carry out the forcible summons, as Yoon decided not to cooperate and refused to leave his cell.
The special counsel team also explained that it was difficult for Seoul Detention Center personnel to use physical force given Yoon's status as a former president.
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