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Suspended South Korean President Yoon rejects Christmas Day summons

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Dec 2024 08:06

This marks the second instance within a week that Yoon has disregarded such orders.

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This handout photo taken on December 14, 2024, and released by the South Korean Presidential Office, shows President Yoon Suk Yeol giving a public address from his official residence in Seoul. (AFP)

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has once again defied investigators' demands, refusing a summons to appear for questioning on Christmas Day.

This marks the second instance within a week that Yoon has disregarded such orders. Investigators probing the president's actions had requested his presence for questioning at 10 am (GMT 0100) on Wednesday, a demand Yoon rejected.

He also failed to attend a hearing scheduled the previous Wednesday, offering no explanation for his absence.

Yoon, a former prosecutor, was stripped of his presidential duties by parliament on December 14 after a brief declaration of martial law, which plunged the nation into its worst political crisis in decades.

The conservative leader now faces impeachment proceedings and criminal charges of insurrection, carrying potential penalties of life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

The Corruption Investigation Office is expected to decide in the coming days whether to issue a third summons or seek a court order for an arrest warrant to compel Yoon to comply.

Yoon is currently under investigation by prosecutors and a joint task force comprising police, defense ministry officials, and anti-corruption authorities, as the Constitutional Court deliberates on the impeachment motion passed by parliament.

The court has six months to deliver its ruling. If the impeachment is upheld, a by-election must be held within 60 days of the court's decision.

This process mirrors the impeachment of former president Park Geun-hye, who faced legal scrutiny only after being removed from office by the Constitutional Court.

Meanwhile, South Korea's opposition party announced on Tuesday that it would delay its decision to impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo until later in the week.

The opposition Democratic Party had previously vowed to introduce an impeachment motion against Han, citing his refusal to sign into law special bills authorizing investigations into Yoon's actions.