South Korea's ex-President snubs special counsel summons again in martial law probe

Seoul, Sep 30 (IANS) Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday failed to appear before a special counsel team for questioning again over allegations related to his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team earlier summoned Yoon for questioning over allegations of attempting to incite foreign aggression after he snubbed their previous summons last week.

Yoon remained unresponsive to the team's latest summons, failing to submit any documentation over his nonappearance, according to assistant special counsel Park Ji-young, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"As with any ordinary suspect who refuses a special counsel summons, (we) will take (further measures) in line with the Criminal Procedure Act," she said.

Her remarks suggested that special prosecutors could consider forcibly bringing him in for questioning.

The team had been expected to question Yoon over allegations that he ordered the dispatch of drones to North Korea last October to incite its retaliation and use it as justification for his future declaration of martial law.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Court said it has assigned an additional judge to the bench handling trials involving former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in a bid to speed up proceedings.

According to the court, a new judge has been dispatched to the three-member panel led by judge Lee Jin-kwan, which is overseeing Han's trial on charges of abetting Yoon's failed attempt to impose martial law.

The same bench is also presiding over a separate trial involving a shaman closely linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

The move is part of the court's broader efforts to speed up proceedings of cases brought by special counsels, with the court noting that it would actively consider adjusting other ordinary cases if requested.

Earlier this month, the court similarly expanded the bench led by judge Jee Kui-youn, which is in charge of Yoon's insurrection trial.

--IANS

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