Seoul, Dec 16 (EFE).- South Korea’s joint martial law investigation unit said on Monday that it will ask embattled president Yoon Suk-yeol to appear for questioning this week over his failed attempt to impose martial law in the country.
The unit, made up of the police, the anti-corruption agency and a defense ministry investigation team, said it will request Yoon’s presence on Wednesday on charges of insurrection and abuse of power.
The announcement comes after the president failed to appear on Sunday for questioning by the Prosecutor’s Office, which had summoned him on Nov. 11.
The prosecutors, who confirmed that the Presidential Office had acknowledged receipt of the summons, plan to send a second summons on Monday.
If Yoon continues to defy the requests for questioning, prosecutors or the joint investigation team may seek an arrest warrant through the courts.
Yoon, who has been banned from leaving the country along with other members of his Cabinet – such as former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, who remains in pretrial detention – as well as senior military and police officials are being investigated for alleged crimes of mutiny, abuse of power and insurrection.
The latter is the most serious accusation and could also lead to Yoon’s arrest, since not even presidential immunity prevails in cases of insurrection, a crime that carries life imprisonment or the death penalty (on which there has been a moratorium in South Korea since 1997).
Yoon was impeached on Saturday by parliament, including the votes of at least 12 lawmakers from his ruling conservative People Power Party (PPP), and his functions were being carried out on an interim basis by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
He is now awaiting a decision by the Constitutional Court, which has a maximum of six months to determine whether or not the president violated the Constitution by implementing martial law and whether, therefore, his dismissal should be ratified or he should be reinstated in office.
Meanwhile, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, announced his resignation on Monday amid internal party strife.
“I am stepping down as the leader of the People Power Party,” Han said. “It has become impossible to carry out my duties as party chief due to the collapse of the party’s Supreme Council.”
Han last week expressed his support for Yoon’s dismissal and despite his previous call for an “orderly” exit and having said he was keeping his post, he now appears to have changed his mind in the face of mounting pressure in the party.
The newly elected leader of Parliament, Kweon Seong-dong, will become the acting head of the conservative party and will also have the authority to appoint the head of an emergency party leadership committee.
Some 1,500 soldiers were deployed in Yoon’s attempt to install martial law, the defense ministry confirmed Monday.
“I understand the number currently confirmed by the defense ministry is at the 1,500 level,” the ministry’s spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou told a press briefing, adding that verification for detailed figures was underway. EFE
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