23rd December 2024 – (Seoul) Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has reportedly defied a second request from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) to appear for questioning regarding his controversial imposition of martial law. Multiple media outlets highlighted that the CIO, in conjunction with a multiagency task force, had summoned Yoon for interrogation on Wednesday.
The task force, which includes the CIO, the National Police Agency, and the Ministry of National Defence, continues to investigate officials linked to Yoon’s brief declaration of martial law on 3rd December. These investigations intensified over the weekend as authorities sought to clarify the circumstances surrounding the declaration.
In related developments, Moon Sang-ho, chief of the Defence Intelligence Command, was summoned on Sunday for questioning—a significant move following his formal arrest on Friday. Moon faces allegations of deploying intelligence personnel to the National Election Commission in Gwacheon in the wake of Yoon’s martial law declaration. He is also suspected of meeting with former Defense Intelligence Command head Noh Sang-won and two subordinates at a fast food restaurant to discuss plans related to the seizure of election servers.
Probes into the actions of Cabinet members have also widened. On Saturday, Land Minister Park Sang-woo was questioned as a witness, focusing on a Cabinet meeting held on 4th December that discussed lifting martial law. Notably, Park did not attend the critical meeting convened just before the declaration.
Meanwhile, Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok, who expressed strong opposition to the martial law during the 3rd December Cabinet meeting, was questioned by prosecutors on Friday. Additionally, National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong has also faced scrutiny regarding his attendance at that meeting, where his presence is believed to be tied to Yoon’s justification of martial law as a necessary measure against perceived North Korean threats.
