The special counsel probing the death of a Marine in the line of duty said on the 7th it will consider seeking an arrest warrant if former President Yoon Suk-yeol fails to comply with a summons scheduled for the 8th.
At a regular briefing that day, the special counsel said, "If the former president does not appear on the 8th, we are also considering seeking an arrest warrant," adding, "Nothing has been decided yet, and we will set our position after seeing the situation on the day." The special counsel said it is "discussing all options, including designating an additional summons date or proceeding with immediate compulsory attendance."
According to the special counsel, the former president's side does not intend to appear for this questioning. An official from the special counsel team said, "The former president's side submitted a statement the previous day (the 6th) saying it is difficult to appear due to the defense lawyer's circumstances in response to the request to appear at the special counsel on the 8th to be questioned as a suspect." In response, "the special counsel accepted the defense's request and provided sufficient time, and since the questioning was scheduled for Saturday (the 8th), when there is no court schedule, the former president's questioning will proceed as planned," the team said.
Earlier, the special counsel planned to summon the former president for questioning on the 23rd of last month. However, the former president's side did not appear, citing a court schedule, and the questioning did not take place.
The former president faces charges of abuse of authority and aiding a suspect's escape in connection with allegations of external pressure on the investigation into the death of the late Marine Chae Su-geun and allegations that former Ministry of National Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup fled to Australia.
Meanwhile, the special counsel is questioning former 1st Marine Division Commander Lim Seong-geun from the morning. Around 9 a.m. that day, when the special counsel moved to forcibly bring in the former division commander, who is held at the Seoul Detention Center, Lim voluntarily appeared.
Lim is accused of professional negligence resulting in death and injury for allegedly ordering an underwater search without providing life jackets and other safety gear during a search operation for flood victims in the Naeseongcheon area of Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, in July 2023, causing one Marine to die and injuring other Marines.