25.06.24.Today News : Special Counsel Requests Arrest Warrant for Former President Yoon Suk-yeol

Special Counsel Requests Arrest Warrant for Former President Yoon Suk-yeol

• Special probe team moves forward as Yoon repeatedly refuses police summons; facing charges of abuse of power and obstruction

Special Counsel Cho Eun-seok's team has formally requested an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk-yeol, citing his repeated refusal to comply with investigation summons. The charges stem from his alleged obstruction of a prior arrest attempt and abuse of presidential powers.

A special prosecutor's team has requested an arrest warrant for former President Yun Seok-yeol.

On June 24 at 5:50 p.m., the Special Counsel team investigating an alleged insurrection case filed for an arrest warrant against former President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Seoul Central District Court. The decision follows Yoon's failure to comply with three separate requests for questioning—two by the police and one by the special investigation team.

Yoon is accused of mobilizing Presidential Security Service agents at his official residence on January 3 to block investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) from executing an arrest warrant. This act has been charged as obstruction of official duties and abuse of power.

In a separate incident from December 2023, Yoon allegedly ordered a senior security official, Kim Sung-hoon, to delete classified communication records used by military commanders. This has led to an additional charge of instigating violations under the Presidential Security Act.

Deputy Special Counsel Park Ji-young stated in a briefing, “Yoon is the only suspect among many who has not cooperated. The special counsel has a limited investigation window and cannot delay further.” Park emphasized that legal procedures allow for forced investigation if a suspect refuses to appear after three summonses.

If the court approves the arrest warrant, the special counsel will be able to detain Yoon for up to 48 hours. If further investigation is deemed necessary, they may request an additional detention period of up to 20 days.

In response, Yoon’s legal team issued a statement criticizing the move, saying, “The special counsel filed for an arrest warrant without even one formal request for appearance. We are willing to comply with future legitimate summons.”

One-line summary : Special Counsel filed for an arrest warrant after former President Yoon Suk-yeol failed to comply with three summonses.