Commuters at Seoul Station watch President Yoon Suk Yeol's public address on TV, Dec. 12. (Yonhap)
President Yoon Suk Yeol will head to the Constitutional Court to deliver his stance on the impeachment resolution, his lawyer told reporters on Tuesday, calling the ongoing investigations into the alleged insurrection a "frenzy."
Seok Dong-hyun, a known confidant of Yoon who was appointed as his lawyer, said that Yoon will “convey his stance in court confidently and with conviction,” stating that the insurrection charges cannot be established.
Though the date for public arguments in the court is yet to be decided, the lawyer confirmed that Yoon will appear at the hearing. Yoon's team will respond separately to the Constitutional Court proceedings and the ongoing investigations.
Asked whether Yoon would comply with the second summons sent by the prosecution and the police, Seok told reporters that it is difficult for him to say anything about the schedule but said he feels it is highly inappropriate for investigators to summon an incumbent president.
"I get the feeling that a frenzied investigation is underway," adding, "The president's powers have only been suspended due to the impeachment motion, but the president is still the president -- do you think the president would just come and go whenever they beckon with a summons?"
The prosecution announced Monday that it made a second attempt to summon Yoon for questioning regarding his brief imposition of martial law on Dec. 3.
The special unit tasked with investigating the martial law declaration -- led by Park Se-hyun, chief prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office -- said it sent a second summons to Yoon, ordering him to appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office for questioning by Saturday.
Yoon, who was named as a suspect related to the martial law turmoil by prosecutors on Dec. 8, is accused of insurrection, abuse of authority to declare martial law for unconstitutional motives, and of ordering military commanders to dispatch troops to the National Assembly.
The prosecution first attempted to summon Yoon on Dec. 11, ordering him to appear at the prosecution office on Sunday. But Yoon did not comply with the summons, saying that he had yet to appoint lawyers, according to local reports quoting authorities.
If Yoon defies the second summons, authorities are reportedly considering the option of arresting him.
Under criminal law, the prosecution can seek a court-issued arrest warrant if there are acceptable reasons to believe a suspect has committed a crime and has defied a summons without a valid reason.
The prosecution arrested former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former military counterintelligence chief Yeo In-hyung on Dec. 8 and Saturday, respectively, on suspicion of insurrection.
Separately, a joint investigation team formed by the Korean National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the Criminal Investigation Command of the Defense Ministry also requested Yoon to appear for questioning by Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Yoon stated that he will “not evade legal or political responsibility for the declaration of martial law” in a televised address Saturday, hours before the parliamentary vote on his impeachment.
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