Attempted Hand Delivery, Sent via Express Registered Mail
The Joint Investigation Headquarters (Joint HQ), investigating the '12·3 Emergency Martial Law' incident, attempted to deliver a summons to President Yoon Seok-yeol at the Presidential Office on the 16th but failed.
A Joint HQ official told reporters that day, "The Presidential Secretariat said it was unclear whether delivering a summons during the president's suspension from duty falls under the Secretariat's responsibilities," adding, "We plan to move to the Hannam-dong residence to deliver the summons." The summons has already been sent to the Hannam-dong residence via express registered mail.
The Joint HQ demanded that President Yoon appear at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) at 10 a.m. on the 18th. The summons specifies charges against President Yoon, including leading a rebellion and obstruction of the exercise of official duties through abuse of power.
The Special Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters (Special Unit) transferred part of the ongoing emergency martial law case to the CIO at 9 a.m. that day. This concerns five individuals: President Yoon, former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Army Chief of Staff Park An-soo, and Commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command Yeo In-hyung. The Special Unit will continue investigating the remaining cases.
This transfer decision was made by the National Investigation Headquarters in response to the CIO's request to ensure a swift and efficient investigation of the emergency martial law case. It is also analyzed as a measure considering that if President Yoon repeatedly refuses to appear without valid reasons, his custody can be forcibly secured through an arrest warrant.
The Joint HQ is composed of the CIO, the National Investigation Headquarters, and the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters. It was launched on the 11th to maximize the strengths of each agency: the CIO's legal expertise and authority to request warrants, the National Investigation Headquarters' investigative experience and capabilities, and the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters' military expertise.
The police have completed investigations of seven out of eleven State Council members who attended the pre-emergency martial law State Council meeting. A police official explained, "We plan to continue providing materials secured through the emergency martial law investigation to the CIO and carry out joint investigations going forward."
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