Second Comprehensive Special Prosecutor to Question Former President Yoon Suk Yeol as Suspect for the First Time on June 6

Suspected of Instructing NIS and Others to Deliver Martial Law Justification Message
To Be Questioned as a Suspect on Charges of Military Rebellion Ringleader on June 13

Special Prosecutor Changyoung Kwon is making a statement with the deputy special prosecutors at the office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on February 25. Photo by Yonhap News

The second Comprehensive Special Prosecutor Team will conduct its first suspect interrogation of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on June 6.

At a regular briefing held on June 1 at the Special Prosecutor's Office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Deputy Special Prosecutor Kim Jimi stated, "Through the questioning of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myungsoo, we confirmed that the state of emergency martial law had been prepared since around November 2023. We also verified that, at the time, several working-level officials advised that there were problems with both the declaration of martial law and the deployment of troops to the National Assembly."

Former President Yoon is suspected of having instructed the National Intelligence Service and others to deliver a message to the international community justifying the declaration of martial law immediately after the December 3 State of Emergency Martial Law. He is also scheduled to appear again on June 13, one week later, to be questioned as a suspect on charges of being a ringleader of rebellion under the Military Criminal Act.

In addition, the special prosecutor team plans to continue questioning witnesses this week regarding former Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Won Heeryong's announcement to cancel the Yangpyeong Expressway project.

Police officers from the Criminal Intelligence Division of the Korean National Police Agency, who are suspected of being involved in covering up the investigation despite being aware of allegations of overseas gambling by senior members of the Unification Church, will be summoned and questioned as suspects. Previously, on May 28, the special prosecutor team executed search and seizure warrants against four individuals, including former Commissioner General Yoon Heekeun, who was the nominee for Commissioner General at the time, and former Gangwon Provincial Police Agency Chief Kim Dohyeong.

Regarding the death-in-the-line-of-duty Marine incident, the team has completed the suspect interrogation of former North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency Chief Choi Juwon, after receiving the initial investigation records and handing them over to the Ministry of National Defense's prosecution team.

On June 4 at 10 a.m., the team will simultaneously summon and question former Minister of National Defense Kim Yonghyun, who faces charges of rebellion and organizing a criminal group under the Military Criminal Act, and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sangmin, who is accused of illegally diverting approximately 2.8 billion won from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's budget to pay construction costs to the unqualified company 21gram during the relocation of the presidential residence.

Meanwhile, on the morning of June 1, the special prosecutor team is interrogating former National Intelligence Service Director Cho Taeyong as a suspect on charges of performing important duties in connection with the alleged "martial law justification message." The team has also requested that former First Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service Hong Jangwon, who is also a suspect on charges of performing important duties related to rebellion, appear for a second interrogation on June 5.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.