Former President Yoon Suk-yeol will face a second round of comprehensive special counsel questioning over allegations that, immediately after declaring the Dec. 3 martial law, he ordered messages sent to the United States and other allies to justify the decree.
The special counsel said on the 21st that it "requested Yoon to appear on June 6 to investigate alleged abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights." Yoon is said to have indicated he will appear on that date. This is the first summons of Yoon since the second comprehensive special counsel launched on Feb.
The special counsel is examining whether Yoon directed the Office of National Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send messages to the United States and other allies explaining the legitimacy of the martial law immediately after it was declared. The messages at the time reportedly included points such as "This measure is to safeguard liberal democracy" and "President Yoon Suk-yeol maintains a position of opposing pro–North Korea leftists and anti-Americanism."
Yoon is also under special counsel investigation on rebellion charges related to deploying troops to the National Assembly. The special counsel is investigating allegations that Yoon conspired with former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, former Army Chief of Staff Park An-su, and former Army Special Warfare Command Commander Kwak Jong-geun to deploy armed soldiers to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission.
Rebellion charges generally apply to service members, but civilians who conspire with them can also be punished. The penalty for leading a rebellion is only death, and if convicted it could affect Yoon's sentence. The special counsel also plans to summon Yoon on June 13 for questioning related to this allegation.
Yoon's side argues it constitutes double jeopardy, saying the elements of leading a rebellion are already encompassed by the charge of leading an insurrection now on trial.
The special counsel is also continuing to investigate allegations over a route change for the Yangpyeong Expressway. On the morning of the same day, the special counsel reportedly summoned a person surnamed Kim, a Director at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as a suspect for questioning. Director Kim was dispatched to and worked at the presidential transition committee after Yoon was elected in 2022. The special counsel is checking whether Director Kim relayed instructions to working-level staff at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) to change the terminus of the Yangpyeong Expressway.