Former President Yoon Suk-yeol's legal team and Special Prosecutor Kim Keon-hee, along with Minister Jeong Seong-ho of the Ministry of Justice, clashed on the 1st over the prison attire of former President Yoon. The conflict began when the special prosecutor stated in a press briefing that "former President Yoon was wearing 'underwear and a undershirt.'" Yoon's side responded, saying, "The special prosecutor created a setting for 'personal insult' disguised as a press briefing."
On that day, Yoon's lawyer Yoo Jeong-hwa told ChosunBiz, "The special prosecutor mentioned in detail the personal clothing conditions while explaining that former President Yoon did not comply with the execution of the arrest warrant, allowing low-level language to be disseminated through the media, such as 'the attire of underwear and undershirt' and 'is it boxer briefs or regular briefs?'"
She continued, "Which civilized country's legal agency explains the clothing condition of a detainee in real-time to reporters in such a cramped space approaching 40 degrees on a hot day?" She added, "This is not a mere incident; it publicly mocks the dignity of the accused and thoroughly tramples on social honor," expressing her distress at the behavior of the special prosecutor, which seemed to boast about conditions where even the minimum human dignity is not guaranteed.
These comments from Yoon's side came after the special prosecutor's press briefing. The special prosecutor visited the Seoul Detention Center that morning to execute the arrest warrant issued the previous day for former President Yoon. However, Yoon strongly refused, preventing him from being taken to the investigation room. During the afternoon press briefing, a reporter asked, "Could you explain specifically the circumstances under which the execution of the arrest warrant was not carried out?" In response, Special Prosecutor Oh Jeong-hee said, "The accused was lying down, expressing his refusal while only wearing an undershirt and underwear."
Minister Jeong Seong-ho also mentioned former President Yoon's detention attire at the National Assembly that day. Democratic Party of Korea member Lee Chun-seok asked the Minister, "Can you confirm whether the detainee (former President Yoon) was wearing a prison outfit? He reportedly met with his lawyer after refusing to comply, but was he dressed during that meeting?" In response, the Minister said, "He was wearing a short-sleeve shirt and pants according to the dress code, but when the special prosecutor's team attempted to execute the arrest warrant, he took off the prison outfit and put it back on immediately after they left."
Following that, Democratic Party of Korea member Park Kyun-taek remarked, "I have not seen behavior characterized by merely wearing underwear, nor have I seen any loss of dignity like that. Is it necessary to show respect for someone with such undignified behavior who disrespects the law and acts in a way that even gangsters would not?" To this, the Minister replied, "In fact, the behavior of a former president like this is embarrassing. Considering he was a former president, we will ensure appropriate respect without inviting misunderstandings regarding favoritism."
In the legal community, there are criticisms that the special prosecutor excessively exposed personal information of the accused that was unrelated to the crime. One legal expert said, "Even if they bring former President Yoon to the investigation room, if he exercises his right to refuse testimony, the investigation cannot proceed, and it seems they are holding a press briefing aimed at humiliation in such a situation."