South Korean investigation team issues summons to Yoon on Christmas Day

SEOUL – Investigators have suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his A foiled proposal for martial law ordered him to appear before the country’s corruption watchdog on Christmas Day – after rejecting an earlier summons this week.

Conservative leader Mr Yoon was removed from office by Parliament last weekend following his brief declaration of martial law on December 3, which plunged the country into its worst political turmoil in decades .

He faces indictment and criminal insurrection charges that could land him in prison for life or even the death penalty for a tragedy that has stunned South Korea’s democratic allies around the world .

He is being investigated by prosecutors as well as a joint team of police, Defense Ministry and anti-corruption investigators.

“The Joint Investigation Headquarters has notified President Yoon Suk Yeol of a second summons request,” the latter said in a statement on December 20.

The hearing at the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) is scheduled for December 25 at 10 a.m. If Mr. Yoon runs, he will become the first sitting South Korean president to appear before an investigative agency.

Mr. Yoon did not appear at the hearing to which he was summoned on December 18 and gave no reason for his absence.

Earlier this week, prosecutors ordered Mr. Yoon to appear for questioning or face arrest, but handed the case over to the IOC.

IOC chief Oh Dong-woon told parliament on Dec. 17 that they were also “studying” whether to issue an arrest warrant.

Mr. Yoon was suspended from his duties and the The Constitutional Court opened its debates on December 16 to determine whether he should continue his indictment. She has approximately six months to make a decision.

The court requested documents related to the declaration of martial law, but they were returned without being delivered three days in a row.

“The attempt to serve documents on the respondent, the President, was unsuccessful. This means they were unable to meet him,” a court spokeswoman said.

“We are looking at other options,” she added.

Former President Park Geun-hye was impeached under similar circumstances to Mr. Yoon, but was investigated after the Constitutional Court removed her from power. AFP

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