The pre-arrest questioning of Yoon Suk-yeol to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant has been underway since 2:22 p.m. on the 9th. The warrant for former President Yoon was requested by the special prosecutor for insurrection on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. The special prosecutor cited 'concern about destroying evidence,' 'concern for important witnesses,' and 'risk of reoffending' as reasons necessitating the arrest.
Former President Yoon arrived at the Seoul Central District Court around 2:10 p.m. in a navy suit and a red tie, heading straight into the courtroom.
On that day, former President Yoon did not respond to questions from reporters such as, 'What are your feelings about facing arrest again just four months after being released?' 'Are you planning to make a statement today?' 'Do you still think the special prosecutor was unreasonable in requesting the warrant?' and 'Did you instruct to directly resist the arrest execution at the time of capture?'
The pre-arrest questioning of former President Yoon began at 2:22 p.m. and is being conducted behind closed doors by Director General Nam Se-jin. Earlier, the special prosecutor for insurrection had requested an arrest warrant for former President Yoon on charges of abuse of power, forgery of official documents, and obstruction of special public duties on the 6th.
Attending as former President Yoon's defense attorneys were Kim Hong-il, Bae Bo-yoon, Song Jin-ho, Chae Myung-sung, Choi Ji-woo, Kim Gye-ri, and Yoo Jeong-hwa. Park Eok-soo, the deputy special prosecutor, arrived at the court around 1:50 p.m. without making any statements and entered the courtroom. The special prosecutor's side reported that 10 members, including Deputy Special Prosecutor Park, Kim Jeong-guk, and Director General Jo Jae-cheol, attended and prepared a 178-slide presentation for the questioning.
It is expected that on that day, former President Yoon's side will argue that the necessity for arrest is low, citing his attendance at the criminal trial for insurrection and the fact that there is no risk of fleeing due to a fixed residence. On the other hand, the special prosecutor is expected to assert the necessity for arrest, citing the seriousness of the criminal charges and concerns about evidence destruction.
The decision on whether to issue an arrest warrant for former President Yoon is anticipated to be made as early as later that day or by early the next day (10th) after the review is completed. After the questioning ends, the court will evaluate the seriousness of the crime, the degree of evidence, concerns about fleeing, and evidence destruction to determine the arrest status. Former President Yoon is expected to wait for the outcome at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang City or at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office detention center.
If the court issues the arrest warrant, former President Yoon will be re-arrested after being released four months ago due to the court's cancellation of the arrest in March. Former President Yoon will face a maximum of 20 days of detention and investigation. The special prosecutor will then decide whether to indict.
Earlier, former President Yoon was arrested on January 15 while in office by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and was detained at the Seoul Western District Court, where an arrest warrant was issued due to 'concern for evidence destruction.' Subsequently, on the 26th of the same month, he was indicted on charges of insurrection leader and others but was released when the court ruled to cancel the arrest in March.