Former President Yoon Suk-yeol did not attend the second summons by the special prosecutor for Kim Keon-hee on the 30th.
Former President Yoon did not respond to the special prosecutor's summons scheduled for 10 a.m. that day. After he failed to appear at the first summons the day before, the special prosecutor tried to summon him again, but this attempt was also unsuccessful.
Earlier, the special prosecutor notified former President Yoon on the 21st that he was summoned as a suspect for violating the Public Official Election Act.
On that day, former President Yoon's side stated, "The reason for his absence today is, as before, health issues."
On the other hand, the special prosecutor noted, "Former President Yoon did not attend without any particular explanation," and said, "We will discuss future measures at the afternoon briefing."
Earlier, Deputy Special Prosecutor Moon Hong-joo stated at a regular briefing the day before, "If he continues to not respond to this, we are considering forced investigations, including requesting an arrest warrant." This means the special prosecutor could immediately request an arrest warrant for former President Yoon.
The special prosecutor is reviewing plans to execute the arrest warrant at the detention center where former President Yoon is held, deploying one special prosecutor and one investigator along with the guards.
Former President Yoon is under suspicion for allegedly receiving free opinion polls from a political broker named Myung-tae Kwon during the 2022 presidential election process in exchange for helping Kim Young-sun, a former member of the People Power Party, to get nominated in the by-election held that year.
Former President Yoon has been detained at the Seoul Detention Center since the 10th for investigation into insurrection and foreign exchange issues related to the insurrection special prosecutor. He has refused to attend both the insurrection special prosecutor's investigation and court hearings since his detention.
Meanwhile, around 10 a.m. that day, Lee Jong-ho, the former representative of Black Pearl Investment, was summoned for the third time by the special prosecutor. He is a suspect in violation of the lawyer's law in connection with the 'Deutsch Motors stock manipulation' case. This summon is the third inquiry following those on the 21st and 23rd.
Lee is considered to have played a 'control tower' role in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case, which is a key investigation target of the special prosecutor.
He, mentioned as a close aide to Kim Keon-hee, was indicted alongside eight others, including former Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, for involvement in the stock manipulation that occurred from 2009 to 2012, and he has received a suspended prison sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court.
In this case, Lee was found to have led stock manipulation with Kwon and others using borrowed accounts during the secondary operation period from October 2010 to December 2012. The court concluded that three accounts belonging to the first lady and one account of her mother, Choi Eun-soon, were used in the manipulation, and Lee has been identified as the person who managed the first lady's accounts.