Seoul, South Korea – The Special Investigation Team led by Chief Special Prosecutor Jo Eun-seok announced on July 5, 2025, that it has concluded its morning inquiry into charges of obstructing the arrest of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. The special prosecution team plans to dedicate its afternoon session to investigating allegations of abuse of power, falsification of public documents, and foreign exchange violations.
The morning investigation, which commenced at 9:04 AM and lasted approximately three hours, focused on accusations that former President Yoon obstructed the execution of an official arrest warrant. Yoon is alleged to have deployed personnel from the Presidential Security Service on January 3, 2025, to impede the High-ranking Officials' Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) from serving an arrest warrant. This warrant, issued on December 31, 2024, stemmed from investigations into Yoon's controversial martial law declaration of December 3, 2024, and his prior refusal to comply with CIO summonses. The special prosecution team stated that the morning's proceedings were "smooth."
The initial attempt to question Yoon on June 28 regarding these charges was met with resistance. Yoon reportedly refused to sign the interrogation statement, asserting that Park Chang-hwan, Head of the Serious Crime Investigation Division of the National Police Agency, involved in the arrest attempt, was complicit in an "illegal arrest." This disagreement necessitated the repeat investigation on the current date. Former President Yoon was ultimately arrested on January 15, 2025, after a week-long standoff at his presidential compound, though he was later released.
The afternoon investigation is set to delve deeply into allegations of abuse of power concerning cabinet members and issues surrounding the "ex-post facto emergency martial law proclamation." The special prosecution team believes that the deliberation and voting rights of some cabinet members were infringed upon during emergency cabinet meetings held both before and after the martial law declaration on December 3, 2024. Certain cabinet members were reportedly not even convened for the pre-declaration meeting, effectively denying them the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. As part of their inquiry, the special prosecution team previously questioned Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Deok-geun, Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Sang-im, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho as witnesses, all of whom were absent from the contentious pre-declaration meeting.
During a press briefing, Special Prosecutor Park Ji-young clarified reports suggesting a policy to question all cabinet members. Park stated, "The special prosecution team has no intention of summoning all cabinet members." She emphasized, "Ministers Lee Ju-ho, Ahn Deok-geun, and Yoo Sang-im were investigated as witnesses. The public might mistakenly perceive that cabinet members who were questioned as witnesses were in fact questioned as suspects." This indicates the special counsel views these cabinet members more as "victims" of Yoon's alleged abuse of power.
Furthermore, the special prosecution team intends to investigate former President Yoon's involvement in drafting the "ex-post facto emergency martial law proclamation." This document was reportedly created on December 5, 2024, by Kang Eui-gu, former Chief of the Presidential Secretariat's attached office, after receiving a query from Kim Joo-hyun, former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Presidential Secretariat, regarding the proper documentation of the President's actions under constitutional law. Kang obtained signatures from former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun on this retroactive proclamation, which was later discarded. Evidence suggests Kang secured Yoon's approval both for its creation and subsequent disposal. The special prosecution team is examining whether the creation of this ex-post facto document, intended to legitimize the martial law declaration, constitutes the falsification of public documents.
The broader scope of the investigation will also encompass former President Yoon's alleged foreign exchange violations. Special Prosecutor Park confirmed that the probe "will cover all alleged facts related to the suspect." These investigations are part of the legal fallout from the December 3, 2024, martial law declaration, which plunged South Korea into a significant political crisis and led to Yoon's impeachment by the National Assembly on December 14, 2024. If convicted of rebellion, Yoon could face severe penalties, including a life sentence or even the death penalty.
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