Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol voluntarily appeared before a special counsel team on Wednesday, just hours before investigators were set to forcibly bring him in under a court-issued warrant, according to Yonhap News Agency. Yoon, who is currently in detention, arrived at the office of Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk to be questioned over allegations that he attempted to impose martial law and ordered a “provocative” drone operation toward North Korea last year.
Assistant Special Counsel Park Ji-young stated that Yoon’s summons followed a warrant issued on October 1. As officials at the Seoul Detention Center were preparing to execute the warrant Wednesday morning, Yoon expressed his willingness to cooperate. The former president had previously ignored two summonses on September 24 and September 30 to appear before prosecutors.
Prosecutors allege that Yoon ordered drone dispatches to North Korea in October of last year in an attempt to provoke retaliation, which he would then use as a pretext to declare martial law. He also faces charges of insurrection linked to the decree and has been detained since his second arrest on July 10. Last month, his request for bail was denied by the court. Meanwhile, a Seoul court on Wednesday rejected a warrant to arrest former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, who is suspected of involvement in Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law.
