Former President Yoon Suk-yeol returned home on the 5th after completing a 14-and-a-half-hour second in-person interrogation by the special investigation team led by Cho Eun-seok regarding insurrection. After reviewing the statements made by former President Yoon, the insurrection investigation team is expected to decide whether to conduct additional summons or seek an arrest warrant to secure a New Recruit.
On that day at 9 a.m., former President Yoon arrived at the front of the Seoul High Prosecutor's Office where the special investigation team was set up, and after completing the investigation, he left the office around 11:54 p.m. He was accompanied by attorneys Kim Hong-il, Song Jin-ho, Bae Bo-yoon, and Chae Myung-sung.
The special investigation team investigated the allegations against former President Yoon regarding his instruction to the Presidential Security Service to prevent the execution of an arrest warrant by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which was issued in January, starting from 9:04 a.m. Under the direction of Special Prosecutor Park Eok-soo and Jang Woo-sung, Director General Kim Jeong-guk and Deputy Prosecutor Jo Jae-cheol conducted the questioning.
On the 28th of last month, police chief Park Chang-hwan of the Serious Crimes Investigation Division (superintendent), who had been interrogated during the first investigation, supported the investigation process in the inquiry room. This was a preemptive measure to prevent former President Yoon from refusing the interrogation by questioning the qualifications of Superintendent Park.
The special investigation team completed the investigation into the allegations of obstruction of arrest in the morning. At 12:05 p.m., they provided a lunch and rest period. Former President Yoon had a meal with delivered Seolleongtang from outside. The special investigation team resumed the investigation at 1:07 p.m.
Allegations were confirmed that former President Yoon obstructed the exercise of the martial law deliberative authority of certain Cabinet members who were summoned without notice in order to fill the 11 members required for a Cabinet meeting before declaring a state of emergency, and that he fabricated a false martial law declaration after the fact to supplement legal deficiencies in the initial declaration.
Investigations were also conducted regarding the allegation that he instructed the security service to delete records of a secured line and that he attempted to incite an attack from North Korea through means such as drone infiltration to secure justification and legitimacy for the declaration of martial law, potentially leading to war or military conflict.
The special investigation team completed all prepared questions at 6:34 p.m. Former President Yoon stated his position without refusing to testify and confirmed that there were no issues with the investigation records over a span of five hours until 11:30 p.m.