Martial law probe: South Korean Prez Yoon defies joint investigation team's summons for 2nd time

Seoul (The Uttam Hindu): South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol failed to appear on Wednesday before a joint investigation team for questioning over his short-lived imposition of martial law, defying its summons for the second time.

Yoon did not appear at the office of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, as requested by 10:00 a.m. on Christmas Day as part of a joint investigation into his botched declaration of martial law on December 3, Yonhap news agency reported.

Yoon, who faces charges of abuse of power and being an insurrection ringleader, has been identified as a suspect in the joint investigation of the CIO, the police and the defence ministry's investigation unit.

He did not comply with the CIO's first summons last Wednesday.

The CIO plans to wait for Yoon's possible appearance later. If he does not show up, the team is expected to decide as early as Thursday on further possible measures, such as sending a summons for the third time or seeking an arrest warrant.

On Tuesday, Seok Dong-hyeon, Yoon's lawyer, said Yoon places a priority on the Constitutional Court proceedings on his impeachment and that he plans to issue a statement on his position on the trial after Christmas Day.

The fate of Yoon's presidency has been handed to the Constitutional Court after the National Assembly impeached him on December 14. The court will hold its first pretrial hearing on Yoon's impeachment on Friday.

The CIO is expected to take its next steps by taking into account this week's hearing, as well as Yoon's planned statement.

A CIO official, however, said the impeachment trial would not have a "decisive" impact on the anti-corruption body's next steps, noting it would merely be a factor to be considered.

Regarding the possibility of seeking an arrest warrant for Yoon, the official said it would be a "far distant" step, considering the circumstances.

"An arrest warrant seems like something far distant. There are many things to be considered," the official said, clarifying that nothing has so far been decided.