First questioning focuses on alleged transmission of martial law justification messages to allied nations; defense team says some questioning is being forced; Yoon set to appear again June 13 on insurrection leadership charges

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared emergency martial law on Dec. 3, arrives at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, for a warrant review hearing on July 9 last year. [Yonhap]
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared emergency martial law on Dec. 3, arrives at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, for a warrant review hearing on July 9 last year. [Yonhap]

By Choi Eui-jong, The Herald Business

The second comprehensive special counsel team (special counsel Kwon Chang-young), which is investigating allegations left unresolved after three earlier special counsel probes into insurrection, first lady Kim Keon Hee and the Marine Corps death case, questioned former President Yoon Suk Yeol as a suspect for the first time Saturday. The team has said it will concentrate arrests and indictments in the latter half of its mandate — a so-called "heavy-tail" approach — and now turns its focus to Yoon, the central figure in multiple allegations.

The special counsel team summoned Yoon to its office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, at 10 a.m. Saturday on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of rights. It was the first time the team, which launched in February, has questioned Yoon as a suspect.

Yoon was transported from Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, in a Ministry of Justice vehicle and entered the office through an underground parking garage, out of public view. His defense team told reporters that "there are parts where questioning is being forced on matters we do not believe constitute a crime," adding that "there are aspects we simply cannot accept — being summoned without being properly informed of the suspected facts."

Earlier, the special counsel team said at a June 1 briefing that it had decided to allow media coverage of Yoon's arrival "in the interest of the public's right to know." Yoon's defense team immediately pushed back, saying the matter was still under discussion and that public disclosure of his appearance had not been finalized. The special counsel team ultimately dropped the plan and kept the session closed.

Questioning ran for about five hours from 10 a.m. Saturday. Yoon reviewed the written record of his statement for more than an hour after 3 p.m. before leaving the office.

According to the special counsel team, Yoon is suspected of directing the National Security Office, the National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to transmit messages to allied nations justifying the Dec. 3 martial law declaration. The team questioned former first deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo twice as a suspect last month.

The special counsel team believes that on Dec. 4, 2024 — the day after the martial law declaration — the NIS's overseas division received a request from the National Security Office to "explain the background of the emergency martial law to allied nations," along with a Korean-language briefing document. Acting on the instructions of then-NIS Director Jo Tae-yong, the division summoned the CIA station chief in Seoul and briefed him in line with the document.

The overseas division falls under former NIS First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won, who has testified that Yoon called him on the night of the martial law declaration and told him to "round them all up." The special counsel team has also booked former Director Jo and former Deputy Director Hong on charges of playing a key role in insurrection.

The office of the second comprehensive special counsel team (special counsel Kwon Chang-young), which is investigating allegations left unresolved after three earlier special counsel probes into insurrection, first lady Kim Keon Hee and the Marine Corps death case. [Choi Eui-jong]
The office of the second comprehensive special counsel team (special counsel Kwon Chang-young), which is investigating allegations left unresolved after three earlier special counsel probes into insurrection, first lady Kim Keon Hee and the Marine Corps death case. [Choi Eui-jong]

The special counsel team questioned former Deputy Director Hong on May 22 and former Director Jo on June 1. Hong has denied the charges. The team plans to question Hong again on June 11 to hear his account of his movements from the moment martial law was declared until it was lifted, as well as the internal decision-making process at the NIS at the time.

The team is scheduled to question Yoon again on June 13 on charges of leading an insurrection. The team believes Yoon ordered martial law troops to carry weapons and dispatched them to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, constituting an act of rebellion.

On June 4, the team questioned former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on charges including military insurrection under the Military Criminal Act. Kim is also booked on charges of organizing a criminal group in connection with allegations that he plotted to establish an illegal investigation unit — dubbed "Investigation Unit 2" of a joint investigation headquarters — to target election commission employees during the martial law period. Observers note that overcoming a potential double-jeopardy challenge will be a key hurdle.

Former Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min was also questioned June 4 over allegations that budget funds were illegally diverted during the relocation of the presidential residence. The special counsel team has already detained former presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-gi and former presidential administrative secretary Yoon Jae-soon on the same allegations. All three — including former presidential management secretary Kim O-jin — are expected to be indicted before their detention period expires on June 10.

In connection with allegations that an investigation into stock price manipulation involving first lady Kim Keon Hee and Deutsch Motors was improperly suppressed, the team plans to summon former Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office chief Lee Chang-su as early as next week on charges of falsifying official documents. The team has already booked former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung and Choi Jae-hun, former head of the Central District Prosecutors' anti-corruption unit 2, which handled the case. The team is expected to examine the circumstances behind the decision to clear Kim Keon Hee of charges.

In connection with allegations that a probe into the Unification Church was improperly suppressed, the team searched the home of former Korean National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-geun on May 28 and seized his mobile phone. The team is expected to summon the former commissioner general for questioning once it completes its analysis of the seized materials. Former Gangwon Province Police Commissioner Kim Do-hyung has also been booked.

The special counsel team, which has already extended its mandate once, is widely expected to seek a further extension to continue its investigation. The team has said arrest warrants and indictments will be concentrated in the latter half of its activity period. Special Counsel Kwon said in a statement last month that "in order to make efficient use of limited personnel, arrest warrant requests and indictments are inevitably concentrated in the latter half — what we call the heavy-tail approach."


bell@heraldcorp.com