Former President Yoon Suk-yeol Completes Second Interrogation by Special Prosecutors

Former President Yoon Suk-yeol concluded his second round of questioning by the special prosecutors investigating insurrection on July 5, returning home at 11:54 PM after a 15-hour session at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Unlike the first interrogation last week, there was no visible tension between the parties during this session.

The special prosecutors reportedly covered all prepared questions, with Yoon denying the allegations against him. They are now expected to carefully review his statements to decide whether to summon him for a third time or to request an arrest warrant.

As Yoon left the building, reporters asked him various questions, including whether he had ordered the infiltration of drones into Pyongyang, how he explained his involvement in the declaration of martial law, and whether he acknowledged the charges of obstructing arrests. However, Yoon, appearing fatigued, did not respond and quickly headed to his waiting vehicle.

The special prosecutor team began their investigation focusing on the allegations of obstructing arrests. During the first interrogation, the head of the Major Crimes Investigation Division, Park Chang-hwan, was in charge, but Yoon's legal team had previously objected to his involvement, leading to a disruption in the proceedings.

Before Yoon's appearance, the special prosecutors maintained that Park should handle the investigation into these allegations. However, during this session, Yoon was questioned by senior prosecutors Kim Jeong-guk and Jo Jae-cheol, as Yoon's team requested to be interrogated by prosecutors instead. This concession by the special prosecutors allowed the investigation to proceed smoothly, according to their statements.

Special Prosecutor Park Ji-young explained in a morning briefing that the decision to involve senior prosecutors from the start was made for the sake of investigative efficiency. Given the limited time frame for the investigation, they opted to prioritize securing Yoon's testimony over engaging in procedural disputes.

The team quickly wrapped up the questioning on the obstruction of arrest allegations and then delved into broader inquiries, including the deletion of server data from a secret phone, the processes surrounding the declaration of martial law, and the drone infiltration allegations. Yoon reportedly denied all charges during his direct testimony and did not exercise his right to remain silent during the questioning.

Instead of taking a break with special prosecutor officials, Yoon went directly to the interrogation room, where questioning began at 9:04 AM. He took a lunch break from 12:05 PM to 1:07 PM, during which he reportedly had seolleongtang (beef bone soup). The intense questioning continued until 6:34 PM. Afterward, instead of having dinner, Yoon immediately began reviewing the interrogation records, which he examined for nearly five hours before signing off at 11:30 PM.