South Korean president fails to appear before corruption watchdog
SEOUL
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage rally against his impeachment near the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol failed to appear before the country's corruption watchdog on Wednesday, it said, after he was summoned for questioning over his martial law bid.
Yoon was stripped of his duties by parliament over the weekend following his short-lived Dec. 3 martial law declaration, which plunged the country into its worst political turmoil in decades.
Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) had summoned him to their facility in suburban Seoul at 10 a.m. for questioning over charges of insurrection and abuse of power.
"President Yoon did not appear for his summons today," a CIO official told AFP.
Investigators said they were considering dispatching a second summons, but CIO chief Oh Dong-woon told parliament on Dec. 17 they were also "reviewing" whether to issue an arrest warrant.
Yoon is being investigated by South Korean prosecutors as well as a joint team of police, Defense Ministry and anti-corruption investigators.
The Presidential Security Services blocked "the joint investigation team's attempt to raid a computer server" at the presidential compound, Yonhap news agency said on Wednesday.
Yoon and some of his inner circle face possible life imprisonment, or even the death penalty, if found guilty. He remains under an international travel ban.
South Korea's Constitutional Court, which began proceedings against Yoon on Dec. 16, is separately deliberating whether to uphold his impeachment.
The court on Wednesday ordered Yoon to submit the martial law decree he issued two weeks ago, as well as the records of cabinet meetings held directly before and after the announcement.
The judges have about six months to decide Yoon's case and a preliminary hearing has been set for Dec. 27, although Yoon is not required to attend.
