Special Prosecutor for Insurrection: "Yoon Refuses to Leave Cell... Will Issue Another Directive to Bring Him In by Tomorrow"

Yoon's Forced Summons Fails
"Difficult to Use Physical Force Against Former President"
Another Directive Issued for 2 p.m. on the 15th

The Special Prosecutor's team for internal insurrection attempted to forcibly bring in former President Yoon Seokyeol for questioning on the 14th after he refused to comply with the summons, but the investigation was once again thwarted as former President Yoon refused to cooperate. The Special Prosecutor's team plans to send another official directive instructing that former President Yoon be brought in by 2 p.m. on the 15th.

The Special Prosecutor for Internal Insurrection announced on the 11th at 2 p.m. that former President Yoon Seokyeol will be summoned for questioning, and hinted at the possibility of compulsory detention if former President Yoon does not comply with the summons. The photo shows the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where the Special Prosecutor's office for internal insurrection has been set up. July 11, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Park Jiyeong, Deputy Special Prosecutor, stated at a briefing on the 14th, "We received a message from correctional authorities that it would be virtually impossible to carry out the Special Prosecutor's directive to bring him in," and added, "We did our best, but former President Yoon did not cooperate at all and refused to leave his cell." She continued, "Given that he is a former president, the correctional authorities found it difficult to use physical force to bring him in."

Former President Yoon, who was re-detained on the 10th, had previously refused the Special Prosecutor's requests for questioning on two occasions, citing health reasons. In response, the Special Prosecutor's team sent an official request to the head of the Seoul Detention Center on this day, instructing that former President Yoon be brought to the investigation room at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office by 3:30 p.m., but this too was not carried out.

Deputy Special Prosecutor Park said, "The Special Prosecutor's office has never encountered a situation like this before," and added, "It is even more difficult to understand because former President Yoon, as someone who served as a prosecutor for a long time, is more familiar than anyone with the procedures for investigating detainees within the criminal justice system."

The Special Prosecutor's team maintains its position that it will ensure the investigation proceeds by issuing another directive for former President Yoon to be brought to the investigation room at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office on the 15th. Deputy Special Prosecutor Park stated, "We plan to send another official directive to the head of the Seoul Detention Center instructing that former President Yoon be brought in by 2 p.m. tomorrow," and added, "We hope that the investigation of former President Yoon will definitely take place tomorrow."

When asked whether they were considering the use of physical force if he refuses again, she replied, "We hope it does not come to that."

However, regarding the possibility of conducting the investigation by visiting him in his cell, she drew a clear line, stating that the principle is to bring the suspect to the investigation room. Deputy Special Prosecutor Park said, "When we conducted a visit-based investigation of Kim Keonhee, there was tremendous public criticism," and added, "Conducting a visit-based investigation for a detained suspect would be no different." She further stated, "In cases where a suspect is indicted while in detention, appearing in court is also carried out under a detention warrant, so refusing to comply with this is essentially the same as refusing to appear in court." She emphasized that when a detained suspect refuses to be brought in for questioning without a valid reason, it is not a right but essentially a failure to fulfill an obligation.

Meanwhile, on this day, the Special Prosecutor's team began a full-scale investigation into foreign exchange-related charges by conducting searches and seizures at 24 military-related locations, including the Drone Operations Command, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Defense Counterintelligence Command, in connection with suspicions of a North Korean drone infiltration into Pyongyang. It is reported that the search and seizure warrants specified charges such as the general crime of aiding the enemy under the Criminal Act.

When asked whether the team was considering applying the general crime of aiding the enemy instead of the more difficult-to-prove foreign exchange crime, Deputy Special Prosecutor Park replied, "We are keeping various charges open for consideration." In the case of the foreign exchange crime, it must be proven that there was collusion and communication with a foreign country. However, for the general crime of aiding the enemy, a person can be punished if they harm the military interests of South Korea or provide military benefits to an enemy state.