
South Korea to enforce detention warrant against former President Yoon Suk Yeol
South Korea’s special counsel announced plans to enforce a court-issued detention warrant on Friday to bring former President Yoon Suk Yeol in for questioning over multiple criminal allegations.
Special Counsel Min Joong-ki’s team said an assistant special counsel, a prosecutor, and investigators will visit the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang at 9 a.m. to execute the warrant. The move follows Yoon’s repeated refusal to respond to two summonses this week, citing poor health.
Earlier Thursday, the Seoul Central District Court issued a second detention warrant against Yoon, who was previously jailed for attempting to impose martial law in December. The latest probe centers on accusations that Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, interfered in candidate nominations during the 2022 parliamentary by-elections using a known power broker, Myung Tae-kyun.
Investigators allege Yoon and his wife received free opinion polls from Myung in return for nominating former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun. Min’s team is also probing whether Yoon violated election laws by making false statements during the 2021 presidential primaries about Kim’s involvement in a stock manipulation case.
Yoon’s defense claims his deteriorating health prevents him from participating in questioning. Despite the detention warrant, there’s skepticism over whether Yoon will comply with interrogation efforts.
Yoon was previously detained in January under a court order from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and released unexpectedly in March. The former first lady faces 19 criminal allegations currently under investigation.