Yoon refuses police questioning during special probe, demands prosecutor

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared Saturday before the second special prosecutor team led by Kwon Chang-young for questioning as a suspect over allegations that he ordered officials to convey messages justifying the Dec. 3 emergency martial law declaration to the United States and other allied nations. However, Yoon refused to cooperate with the questioning, raising objections over who was conducting the interrogation.

The special prosecutor team questioned Yoon as a suspect for approximately six and a half hours, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Substantive questioning lasted only about two hours.

When a seconded police officer began the interrogation, Yoon's side refused to proceed and demanded that an investigator holding prosecutor status be present. His legal team argued that under the Code of Criminal Procedure and the special prosecutor act, suspect questioning must be conducted directly by a special prosecutor, deputy special prosecutor or seconded prosecutor with prosecutorial standing.

When the special prosecutor team said it would be difficult to swap out personnel, Yoon's side said it was willing to wait "however many hours it takes until the special prosecutor's side is ready." Morning questioning effectively did not take place as a result.

Questioning resumed around 1:30 p.m. after both sides reached an agreement and a deputy special prosecutor joined the session.

Investigators focused on whether Yoon directed the presidential office's National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, immediately after declaring emergency martial law on Dec. 3, to deliver messages to the United States and other allies justifying the measure.

The messages reportedly included statements such as "This measure is intended to defend liberal democracy" and "President Yoon Suk Yeol maintains his stance of standing against pro-North Korea leftists and anti-American sentiment."

Yoon had previously refused questioning on the same grounds during an appearance in June last year before the insurrection special prosecutor team led by Cho Eun-seok.

On that occasion, Yoon challenged the qualifications of Park Chang-hwan, a senior superintendent and head of the Korean National Police Agency's serious crimes investigation division, when Park stepped forward to conduct the questioning, and demanded he be replaced.