Three Consecutive Days of Failed Questioning Attempts and Unsuccessful Search and Seizure
President Yoon's "Ringleader of Rebellion" Case Transferred to Prosecution on the 23rd
The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (Gong-su-cheo) will transfer the case involving President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is accused of being the ringleader of a rebellion, to the prosecution on the 23rd. With President Yoon refusing to be investigated, making progress in the investigation unlikely, Gong-su-cheo made the decision to hand over the case to the prosecution earlier than expected on the 23rd.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Jae-seung of Gong-su-cheo stated at a press briefing at 11 a.m. that day, "Today, 51 days after the investigation began, we have decided to request prosecution for the case against Yoon Seok-yeol, including charges of being the ringleader of a rebellion, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office." In a press release to the media, Gong-su-cheo specified the charges against President Yoon as "ringleader of a rebellion and abuse of authority obstructing the exercise of rights."
Gong-su-cheo outlined the key facts of the charges against President Yoon, stating, "In collusion with the former Minister of National Defense and military commanders, on December 3 of last year, he declared martial law with the intent to exclude state power or disrupt the constitutional order, thereby inciting a riot; abused his authority by compelling police officers from the National Assembly Security Guards and martial law troops to perform duties they were not obligated to; and obstructed the exercise of the National Assembly members' right to demand the lifting of martial law."
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee said, "Although Gong-su-cheo has decided today to request prosecution against the suspect, there are still suspects and related cases concerning the martial law incident remaining at Gong-su-cheo, so we will continue the investigation rigorously."
Gong-su-cheo's transfer of President Yoon's case today is five days earlier than the expiration of the first detention period on the 28th. Gong-su-cheo had previously stated that it was continuously consulting with the prosecution regarding the timing of the case transfer and the party requesting the extension of the detention period. Gong-su-cheo also faced difficulties in the investigation, having attempted forcibly to bring in the president for questioning on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd, but failed each time.
Gong-su-cheo went to the Presidential Office and the Presidential Residence the day before with a warrant to seize and search records from the secret phone server used by President Yoon, but the Security Office denied permission, resulting in a fruitless effort. Since Gong-su-cheo does not have the authority to indict the president, the case will now be handled by the prosecution, which is expected to proceed with investigating and indicting President Yoon.
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