On the 29th, Indicated Intent to Refuse Appearance Request from the Corruption Investigation Office
The lawyer representing President Yoon Seok-yeol indicated non-attendance a day before the third appearance date (29th) requested by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI).
Yoon Gap-geun, who serves as the spokesperson for President Yoon's impeachment trial legal team and investigation defense team, said in a phone interview with Yonhap News on the 28th, "We believe that HOCI does not have investigative authority over the crime of rebellion," adding, "This issue must be resolved first before deciding whether to appear." This is interpreted as effectively signaling non-attendance.
Under the HOCI Act, HOCI can investigate crimes related to abuse of power. However, rebellion is not included among the crimes subject to direct investigation. Nevertheless, HOCI holds that President Yoon's rebellion charges fall under 'crimes related to abuse of power,' thus granting them investigative authority.
Regarding this, lawyer Yoon stated, "The main focus of this investigation is the crime of rebellion," and added, "It makes no sense to try to strike the core by targeting the tail with abuse of power charges."
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