South Korean special counsel fails to detain ex-president Yoon

A special counsel team failed Friday to execute a detention warrant for former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol after he refused to comply, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Assistant Special Counsel Moon Hong-ju, along with a prosecutor and an investigator, visited Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, where Yoon has been held since last month. The team said they went as far as outside Yoon’s cell and instructed prison officers to bring him out, but he refused.

“We could not complete the execution of the detention warrant for former President Yoon due to his adamant refusal,” the team said.

The question of force

Earlier, special prosecutors said they would “forcibly” bring in the ousted president for questioning over alleged election meddling.

The special prosecutors are probing allegations that Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, meddled in nominating candidates for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections.

Yoon has defied two summonses to attend questioning this week, and his lawyers said it was due to “his deteriorating health.”

He has been in custody since January after being impeached in December, days after he imposed martial law on the night of December 3, which was overturned within hours.

Yoon was formally ousted from office in April, paving the way for a snap presidential election in June, which was overwhelmingly won by Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

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Source: TRT