[비즈한국] Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, a key suspect in the 'December 3 Emergency Martial Law' case, appeared before the Special Counsel team investigating the insurrection on the 28th as a suspect. This marks his first face-to-face interrogation in 164 days, following his arrest by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on January 15.
Although former President Yoon Suk Yeol requested a private appearance, Special Counsel Cho Eun-seok refused, upholding the principle of public appearance. Consequently, upon arriving at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office building around 10:00 a.m. on the 28th, former President Yoon entered the building without responding to any questions from the press.
The core of this investigation lies in verifying the facts regarding allegations of: △ordering the obstruction of arrests, and △ordering the deletion of information from encrypted phones. In particular, the special counsel team plans to intensively question him on the proceedings of the State Council meetings before and after the declaration of martial law, the reporting chain of command, and any communications with military leadership.
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol's legal counsel issued a statement on the 28th, criticizing the move: "When requesting a suspect to appear, investigative agencies must ensure that the suspect's honor and privacy are not infringed," adding, "Investigative agencies must not infringe upon a suspect's human rights by unilaterally notifying them or making their arrival public."
The legal team argued, "(The special counsel team) is forcing a method of public summons similar to the 'photo line' that was abolished during the Moon Jae-in administration," adding, "Summoning and questioning a former president based on wordplay and non-existent facts is no different from fabricating a case rather than conducting an investigation." Nevertheless, the legal team stated, "We will comply with today's interrogation because procedural disputes should not become an obstacle to uncovering the truth."
The special counsel team has left open the possibility of questioning former President Yoon Suk Yeol regarding charges of obstructing National Assembly proceedings and sedition. Park Ji-young, the Assistant Special Counsel for the insurrection case, stated, "We plan to first investigate the criminal charges for which arrest warrants were requested. Considering the interconnectedness of the case, the interrogation will be handled by Park Chang-hwan, Chief of the Major Crime Investigation Division at the National Police Agency, who has been in charge of this investigation at the police."
Special Counsel Cho Eun-seok, who leads the investigation, first gained prominence during the Moon Jae-in administration for his investigation into the Shindongah Group. Cho solidified his reputation as a special investigation prosecutor by leading major political and governmental cases, such as the mint strike incitement case, the Nara Merchant Bank lobbying scandal, and the 'clothes-lobby' scandal during the Kim Dae-jung administration.
Following the additional indictment of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on the 18th, the special counsel team is increasing the intensity of its investigation by successively requesting arrest warrants for former Defense Security Command Chief Yeo In-hyung, former Intelligence Command Chief Moon Sang-ho, and former Intelligence Commander Noh Sang-won.