Internal and Foreign Exchange Charge Investigation Intensifies
The Special Prosecutor's Team investigating the internal and foreign exchange charges against former President Yoon Seok-yeol will conduct a second summon interrogation today at around 9 AM.
On the 5th, the Special Prosecutor, which is investigating former President Yoon's involvement regarding the 'Emergency Martial Law' declared on December 3, is expected to carry out a comprehensive and high-intensity investigation during this inquiry.
Initially, the Special Prosecutor had scheduled the second appearance for the 1st, but after the former president's side stated health issues and the exercise of defense rights concerning ongoing trials as reasons for not attending, the date was rescheduled.
Former President Yoon has consistently expressed his intention to appear on the 5th or 6th after the internal rebellion trial on the 3rd, and when the Special Prosecutor mentioned the possibility of compulsory summons for non-compliance, he stated that he would appear on the designated date.
If the charges against former President Yoon become clear during this inquiry, there are speculations that the Special Prosecutor might consider additional summons or request for an arrest warrant.
Key Charges the Special Prosecutor is Focusing On
The charges that the Special Prosecutor is concentrating on against former President Yoon can be broadly categorized into three areas: the illegality of the State Council meetings before and after the declaration of martial law, obstruction of the prosecution's arrest warrant execution, including instructions to delete the encrypted phone server, and the direction to deploy drones to Pyongyang.
In particular, former President Yoon is under suspicion of having sent drones to Pyongyang last October to create a justification for declaring a state of emergency, intending to provoke a military conflict between the North and the South.
In this regard, the Special Prosecutor has already investigated employees from the Defense Science Research Institute's Aeronautical Technology Research Institute, which is responsible for supplying drones to the Drone Operations Command.
Special Prosecutor Park Ji-young disclosed during a media briefing on the 4th, "Due to the confidentiality of the investigation, we are unable to disclose the specific list of investigation targets, but significant investigations into military personnel have been carried out."
Notably, unlike the first summons request, the second summons request explicitly mentioned the charge of 'foreign exchange retention.'
The charges related to internal rebellion are currently being addressed in the ongoing criminal trial, so the analysis suggests that the success of this Special Prosecutor's investigation will hinge on the ability to prove the charge of foreign exchange retention. Since the 30th of last month, the Special Prosecutor has been calling in National Assembly members for investigations, including former Presidential Office Secretary General Kwon Young-jin, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy Ahn Duk-geun, Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Sang-im, and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho, along with former Presidential Secretary Kim Jeong-hwan.
The Special Prosecutor plans to investigate whether the State Council meetings were convened prior to the declaration of martial law, irrespective of whether the participants attended. Meanwhile, former President Yoon is expected to appear through the main entrance this time, rather than the underground parking lot.
Image source: Former President Yoon Seok-yeol / News1
