Yoon Suk Yeol Snubs Investigators: A Crisis for South Korea

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been suspended from his duties, did not show up for questioning by investigators for the second time on Monday. Last week, he also skipped an earlier summons. This trouble started when he announced martial law on December 3, which led to major protests and was a huge shock for South Korea. Yoon now faces serious legal issues, including impeachment and charges of insurrection. If found guilty, he could go to prison for a long time, or even face the death penalty, which has surprised many people around the world.

The team looking into his martial law decision tried to deliver a summons to his office, but the postal service says that Yoon’s office refused to accept it. They also sent the summons electronically, but that attempt failed as well. Investigators asked him to come in for questioning at 10:00 a.m. on Christmas Day, hoping that fewer people would be around to make it easier for him to attend.

If Yoon does show up, he would be the first sitting president in South Korea to be questioned by investigators. He didn’t provide a reason for not attending the first questioning last Wednesday. If he skips the next one, the investigation team may ask the court to issue an arrest warrant to force him to attend as there are serious implications behind his refusal.

While the Constitutional Court is deciding whether to uphold his impeachment, Yoon remains suspended. The court has about six months to make a decision. If they decide to remove him, a by-election will take place within two months.