unsaveSave
expand-left
full screen South Korea suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol. Photo: South Korean Presidential Office Via Yonhap/AP/TT
South Korea’s suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol appears unwilling to participate in investigations into his criticized decision to declare a state of emergency. He was absent from Wednesday’s hearing, Yonhap reports.
Alongside the impeachment process against him, which the Constitutional Court took over after the parliament voted for impeachment, two criminal investigations are ongoing. In one of them, the police, the country’s anti-corruption unit and the Ministry of Defence’s investigation department cooperate. They have tried several times to serve Yoon with a summons for questioning on the suspicions against him of attempted rebellion and abuse of presidential power.
Refuses to receive
But the president’s office has refused to receive it or sent it back by return mail, and Yoon did not appear at Wednesday’s scheduled hearing.
Now, investigators are considering requesting an arrest warrant.
The second criminal investigation into the legality of the state of emergency is carried out by prosecutors. They had requested that Yoon appear for questioning on Sunday, but he did not show up either. Now they have asked him to appear on Saturday.
Is turned off
In the impeachment process, the Constitutional Court has taken over and begun its work following Parliament’s decision. The court has up to six months to decide whether Yoon should be removed permanently or if he should be reinstated in his post. In the meantime, he is suspended from office and the Prime Minister handles it instead.