Kim Gunhee Special Prosecutor: "Yoon's Letter of Attorney Received, No Arrest Today or Tomorrow"

"Plan to Discuss Schedule and Methods for Summons and Investigation with Attorney"

Former President Yoon Seokyeol is heading to Seoul Detention Center after completing the second warrant hearing at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 9th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

The special prosecutor team led by Min Jungki, which has been deliberating on whether to execute the arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk-yeol, has decided to coordinate with Yoon's side regarding the investigation methods after discussions.

On August 5, the special prosecutor's team announced, "The letter of attorney for former President Yoon has been submitted, and we plan to discuss with the attorney the schedule and methods for the summons and investigation." Accordingly, the team decided not to execute the arrest warrant for former President Yoon either on this day or the following day.

As both sides maintained a hardline stance over the execution of the arrest warrant, there was speculation that the special prosecutor's team was preparing for a second attempt to execute the warrant. Previously, on August 1, during the attempt to execute the arrest warrant for former President Yoon, the special prosecutor's team stated that Yoon had refused to cooperate with the investigation by lying down in his solitary cell, removing his prison uniform, and remaining in his underwear. The special prosecutor's team explained that "Yoon strongly resisted while lying down, and it did not appear that he removed his uniform simply because of the heat." However, Yoon's side claimed, "He only removed his uniform briefly because it was too hot."

Subsequently, at a regular briefing the previous day, the special prosecutor's team stated, "Although Yoon's side claims he removed his uniform to cool down and not to resist, in our view, that was not the case," and added, "(Yoon) strongly resisted while lying down, and the Minister of Justice also agreed with the Seoul Detention Center's opinion on this matter."

The team further expressed concern, saying, "If we do not execute the arrest warrant in this case, we worry that other ordinary suspects may not comply with arrest warrants in the future." The team also pointed out, "During the special investigation into the Park Geun-hye government corruption scandal, former President Yoon was the head of the investigative team and actually enforced a compulsory appearance by obtaining an arrest warrant for Choi Soon-sil, who refused to appear."

On the other hand, Yoon's legal representatives explained to the press, "Former President Yoon believed it would not be possible to meet with his attorney that morning and removed his uniform briefly because it was too hot." The representatives also claimed, "The special prosecutor's team visited and requested that he comply with the arrest, and Yoon, embarrassed to be in his underwear, covered himself with a blanket and asked to consult with his attorney. The special prosecutor's team not only avoided allowing a meeting with the attorney but also arbitrarily filmed the embarrassing situation without any legal grounds."

Although the confrontation between the two sides over the execution of the arrest warrant appeared to be escalating, with the submission of Yoon's letter of attorney on this day, the possibility of conducting the investigation through 'coordination' has increased.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.