Former President Yoon Suk Yeol will be 10 to 20 minutes late for his second round of questioning, scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, according to a representative cited in local media reports Thursday.
The questioning is part of an ongoing special counsel investigation into alleged insurrection and abuse of power.
In a phone interview with Newsis, the attorney said, “(Yoon) is unlikely to arrive exactly at 9 a.m. He’ll probably be 10 to 20 minutes late, but he will fully take part in the questioning, so there’s no need to worry.”
The comment came amid tensions earlier in the week over Yoon’s expected arrival time. On Wednesday, the former president notified the special counsel that he would arrive at 10 a.m. for Saturday’s session. However, the team, led by special counsel Cho Eun-suk, insisted on the original 9 a.m. schedule, warning that Yoon would bear full responsibility for any consequences of his late arrival. Yoon ultimately agreed to appear at 9 a.m. as scheduled, but his aide said he will likely arrive late.
This is not the first time Yoon has sought to reschedule the interrogation session. During his first questioning session on June 28, he requested a 10 a.m. start, an hour later than requested by the investigators. Authorities permitted the delay at the time.
Saturday’s summons follows Yoon’s failure to appear earlier in the week. He was initially ordered to appear at 9 a.m. Tuesday but did not show, citing health issues and a scheduled court hearing related to his ongoing criminal trial. In response, the special counsel reissued the summons for the same time on Saturday.
The investigation, led by a team of approximately 200 investigators, is expected to run for 170 days, likely extending through the end of the year.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
