Yoon Suk-yeol insisted on prosecutor-led questioning, agreed to afternoon probe

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol initially refused an investigation by a comprehensive special prosecutor team on the morning of June 6, insisting that only a prosecutor should conduct the questioning. The investigation, which was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the special prosecutor's office in Gwacheon, was delayed until the afternoon after Yoon's side agreed to cooperate.

Yoon is suspected of abuse of power for allegedly ordering the National Security Office and the National Intelligence Service to send messages to allies, including the United States, justifying the declaration of emergency martial law shortly after it was proclaimed. His side reportedly argued that a prosecutor, not a police officer dispatched to the team, should conduct the investigation. After negotiations, the special prosecutor team, with special prosecutor Kwon Young-bin present, began the investigation at 1 p.m.

During the afternoon session, Yoon reportedly answered the special prosecutor team's questions without refusing to provide testimony. He is said to have denied the allegations, stating that he did not issue detailed instructions to the National Security Office regarding the transmission of messages to allies to justify the emergency martial law. The investigation concluded around 3 p.m., with Yoon spending approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes reviewing the transcript before leaving the facility around 4:25 p.m.

This is not the first time Yoon has resisted an investigation led by a police officer. During an investigation by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-seok on June 29 last year, Yoon refused to be questioned by Superintendent Park Chang-hwan, who was dispatched to the team. At the time, Yoon's lawyer stated that it was appropriate for a prosecutor to conduct the investigation in a special prosecution and that the process, primarily led by a police officer, caused delays due to disagreements over the investigator.

The comprehensive special prosecutor team plans to investigate Yoon again on June 13 regarding charges of being a ringleader in a rebellion under military law. The previous investigation lasted about two hours.