SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors asked a court Tuesday for a new arrest warrant to detain ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, after he refused a summons by investigators probing his failed martial law bid.
Yoon was formally stripped of office in April, after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament.
He is already standing trial on insurrection charges, personally attending court to defend himself against the allegations.
However, he has refused several summons issued by a special counsel formed to investigate the martial law declaration that parliament voted to launch earlier in the month.
“Today, the special counsel requested an arrest warrant for former president Yoon Suk Yeol on charges including obstruction of official duties,“ the special counsel said in a statement.
“The arrest warrant was requested in order to conduct the suspect’s interrogation,“ it said, adding that “he has clearly indicated his intention not to respond to future summons”.
Prosecutor Park Ji-young, a member of the special counsel, said in a news conference that Yoon was just “one of several suspects” that they had summoned to be questioned.
“He is the only one who has refused to comply,“ said Park.
“As you know, the special counsel operates under a strict time limit and is expected to investigate multiple matters, so we do not intend to be dragged around,“ she added.
At his latest hearing on Monday, Yoon claimed that the martial law declaration “was aimed at sending a strong message to the public using the minimal number of personnel and unarmed soldiers.”
The former president’s next trial hearing is set to be held on July 3.
