South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol failed to appear for questioning for the second time before the investigation team into the rebellion case initiated due to the events surrounding the declaration of martial law on December 3-4, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Earlier, law enforcement authorities tried to serve him a summons requiring him to appear at the Anti-Corruption Bureau by 10:00 a.m. local time. The president is suspected of abuse of power and "organizing a rebellion as a leader of the conspirators".
At the same time, the administration indicated that they were willing to wait a little longer. “The interrogation is scheduled for tomorrow /b.r. today/at 10:00 a.m., but we are prepared to extend the wait,” department chief Oh Dong-un said yesterday. According to the agency, law enforcement agencies have prepared a long list of questions that could take the rest of the day to answer. The agency will decide whether to issue a third subpoena for questioning or to file an arrest warrant no earlier than Dec. 26, Yonhap reported. "The application for an arrest warrant for the president is at a very advanced stage. There are many other things that need to be considered at this time," the agency said.
Yoon Suk-yeol previously failed to appear for questioning before the investigation team on Dec. 18 and at the prosecutors' office on Dec. 15. Representatives for the president said he was unlikely to appear today. South Korean law allows for the prosecution of a sitting president on charges of rebellion and treason.
On December 14, the Republic of Korea's parliament removed the president from office, effectively ending his term. The Constitutional Court must now decide whether to uphold the lawmakers' decision or reinstate him.
On December 11, the High-Level Corruption Investigation Service, the police, and the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Defense agreed to join forces in investigating the martial law events, leading to the establishment of a joint investigation team.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has stated that it has the right to investigate the martial law events because the rebellion involves abuse of power by a high-ranking official. It also argues that its investigative powers are based on a legal norm higher than those of the prosecution. In the first days after the lifting of martial law, the police, the anti-corruption agency, and the prosecutor's office opened cases against the president.