South Korea prosecutors to issue second summons for President Yoon Suk Yeol – JURIST
Prosecutors said on Sunday that they plan to issue a second summons for President Yoon Suk Yeol after he did not comply with the first one in the midst the investigation into his short-lived declaration of martial law.
According to local media, prosecutors issued a summons on December 11 for the President to appear on Sunday at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for questioning.
If Yoon decides not to comply with the second summons, prosecutors may attempt to arrest him by issuing an arrest warrant, which can be issued if there is “reasonable grounds to believe a suspect has committed a crime and the suspect has not complied with a summons without a valid reason”, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Yoon is accused of leading an insurrection and abuse of power connected to his martial law declaration, in which he allegedly ordered military commanders to dispatch troops to the National Assembly to arrest key political figures.
Yoon declared martial law on December 3rd, arguing that the measure was taken as protection against North Korean communist forces, attributed to his political opponents. The military was immediately deployed in the streets, preventing entrance to the Parliament, which unanimously voted 190-0 to lift the martial decree in the same day.
On Saturday, South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach the President, with 204 votes in favor out of 300 lawmakers. According to the impeachment resolution, the President violated Article 77 of the Constitution, which limits martial law to situations of war, armed conflict or similar national emergencies. The decision to declare martial law, as the Assembly noted, constituted an abuse of power as it lacked constitutional justification.
