SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is in detention, did not appear for the second day of interrogation by investigators, this Thursday (16), making a criminal investigation into the possibility that he had committed insurrection with his attempt to impose martial law.
On Wednesday (14), Yoon became the first sitting South Korean president and was held in the Seoul Detention Center after refusing to cooperate.
He remained at the center Thursday, with his lawyer citing health as a factor in his absence from questioning. Investigators did not explain why they did not force him to appear.
Authorities have 48 hours to question the suspended president, after which they must release him or request an arrest warrant for up to 20 days. However, that countdown was halted as his lawyers asked a court to review the legality of the arrest.
Yoon’s move to cooperate with investigators comes as the Constitutional Court holds a second hearing in his impeachment trial to determine whether he will be removed permanently or his presidential powers will be reinstated.
South Korea is facing its worst political crisis in decades, triggered by Yoon’s brief attempt to impose martial law on December 3, which was rejected by Parliament.
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In opening arguments at the Constitutional Court, a lawmaker from the opposition Democratic Party condemned Yoon for the “December 3 insurrection” and said Yoon and a small number of supporters had tried to fuel the chaos by refusing to accept his arrest warrant.
“This impeachment trial decides whether or not we should bring someone like him back to the position of commander-in-chief in control of the military,” said Jung Chung-rae, a lawmaker who heads Parliament’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Yoon’s legal team has denied that he planned an insurrection, a crime in South Korea punishable by life in prison or, technically, the death penalty.
Yoon’s arrest ended a weeks-long standoff with authorities after police raided his fortified hillside home in Seoul before dawn, to the consternation of supporters at the scene.
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Yoon said he turned himself in for questioning to avoid what he called the risk of “nasty bloodshed,” although he continued to protest that it was an illegal investigation and an invalid arrest warrant.
