Former President Yoon Suk-yeol is scheduled to appear at the insurrection special investigation on the morning of the 28th at 10 a.m. This will be 208 days since the declaration of a state of emergency on Dec. 3 last year. Earlier, former President Yoon requested to appear in private through an underground parking lot, but the insurrection special investigation did not accept this.
On this day, the insurrection special investigation is expected to investigate former President Yoon for special obstruction of public duties and abuse of power and for inciting abuse of power under the Presidential Security Act at the special investigation office established at the Seoul High Prosecutor's Office. If the investigation proceeds as scheduled, it will mark the first face-to-face investigation of former President Yoon as a suspect since the declaration of a state of emergency.
Former President Yoon is facing allegations of directing the obstruction of the execution of an arrest warrant against him (special obstruction of public duties and abuse of power) since January. He is also accused of attempting to destroy evidence by instructing the Presidential Security Service to delete the secure phone information of military commanders (inciting abuse of power under the Presidential Security Act).
It is reported that the special investigation also plans to examine the cabinet meeting held just before the declaration of a state of emergency on Dec. 3 last year. The core of the suspicion is that former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and other government officials who attended the meeting tolerated or abetted an unconstitutional and unlawful state of emergency.
Earlier, the insurrection special investigation notified former President Yoon to appear at the Seoul High Prosecutor's Office and be investigated at 9 a.m. on the 28th after his arrest warrant was dismissed on the 25th.
In response, former President Yoon requested to postpone the investigation to 10 a.m., one hour later, and to allow him to appear in private through the underground parking lot. The insurrection special investigation accepted the postponement of the investigation time but did not accept the private appearance.
However, former President Yoon's side maintained its position of appearing through the underground parking lot until the morning of the 27th. In response, the insurrection special investigation stated in a press briefing that former President Yoon must appear at the main entrance on the first floor, and the underground parking lot would be completely blocked. They added, "We hope that a situation will not arise that could be considered as noncompliance with the appearance."