South Korea: Special counsel to execute detention warrant for Yoon Friday

Seoul, July 31 (IANS) A South Korean special counsel team said on Thursday that it will execute a detention warrant for jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol this week to forcibly bring him in for questioning.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team said it plans to send an assistant special counsel, a prosecutor and investigators to the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, just south of the capital, at 9 a.m. Friday.

Earlier in the day, the Seoul Central District Court issued a detention warrant for Yoon after the former president, who is under arrest over his failed attempt to impose martial law in December, defied two summonses to appear for questioning this week.

Min's team is investigating allegations that Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, meddled in nominating candidates for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections through a self-proclaimed power broker, Myung Tae-kyun.

Yoon's lawyers have said the former president is unable to comply with the summonses because of his deteriorating health.

This is the second time a detention warrant has been issued for Yoon, Yonhap news agency reported.

In January, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials detained Yoon at the official presidential residence under a court-issued warrant and took him to the same detention centre where he was held until his surprise release in March.

At the time he was arrested on charges of leading an insurrection through his martial law attempt.

Even if Yoon is forcibly brought to the interrogation room, there is skepticism he will comply with the questioning.

He and his wife are suspected of receiving free opinion polls from Myung ahead of the 2022 presidential election in exchange for securing the nomination of former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun for a parliamentary by-election later that year.

Min's team is also looking into whether Yoon violated the election law by making false statements about his wife's suspected involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme during the presidential primaries in 2021.

The team has been tasked with investigating 19 criminal allegations against the former first lady.

--IANS

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