Yoon Suk-yeol's Interrogation Resumes After Delay

The special investigation team probing the insurrection case involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol has reportedly resumed its questioning around 5 PM on June 28, after a 3.5-hour interruption caused by Yoon's refusal to continue. Legal experts suggest that the investigation may extend late into the night.

Yoon arrived at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu as a suspect for the investigation. According to reports, he entered the interrogation room around 5 PM, resuming questioning that had been paused after lunch. Earlier, Yoon had attended the special investigation at approximately 9:56 AM and was questioned for about an hour before breaking for lunch, with plans to continue at 1:30 PM.

However, complications arose when Park Chang-hwan, the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Division of the National Police Agency, was reported to have been accused by Yoon's legal team. They claimed that Park had commanded the execution of arrest warrants during a police operation in January, leading to a complaint filed against him and other police officials with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Yoon's team argued that it was inappropriate for Park, who is under investigation, to interrogate the former president.

Following the lunch break, Yoon and his lawyers refused to enter the interrogation room, leading to a standstill in the investigation. Yoon's side insisted on being questioned by a prosecutor assigned to the special investigation team, while the team maintained that they needed to complete their inquiry into Park's alleged interference with the execution of arrest warrants.

In response, Park Ji-young, a deputy prosecutor, held a briefing at 3:15 PM, stating, "In a reality where complaints against investigating prosecutors or judicial police officers are frequent, one cannot be excluded from their duties simply because they are under investigation. This effectively paralyzes the criminal justice process." He further emphasized that there is no law preventing a former president from being subjected to police investigations, equating the refusal to acknowledge police authority to a denial of the police system itself. He vowed to take a firm stance against any attempts to obstruct the investigation with false claims.

The police also countered claims from Yoon's legal team, asserting that Park did not lead any illegal arrests. They clarified that Park was not present during the execution of the first arrest warrant for Yoon and was only involved in the second warrant execution for other individuals.

Meanwhile, after completing the morning session, Yoon and his legal representatives reportedly ordered lunch boxes costing around 10,000 won, which were prepared by the security office accompanying them, not the special investigation team. Previously, during his interrogation in January, Yoon had also eaten lunch from a lunch box, and when the questioning extended into the evening, he had a meal of doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew).