South Korean president snubs summons for second time
Protesters take part in a rally calling for the ouster of South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in front of the Gwanghwamun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on December 21, 2024. Picture: Jung Yeon-je/AFP
SEOUL - South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol refused a summons for questioning for the second time, an investigation team said on Monday, after he snubbed a previous one last week.
The conservative leader was stripped of his duties by parliament on 14 December after his brief declaration of martial law 11 days earlier, which plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades.
Yoon faces impeachment and criminal charges of insurrection that could see him jailed for life, or even face the death penalty, over a drama that stunned democratic South Korea's allies around the world.
The anti-corruption body investigating Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration said it had sent the summons to his office and residence.
But "the postal system shows the presidential office had 'rejected the receiving' of the summons", the investigators said in a statement.
The summons sent electronically also returned a status of "unidentifiable", making it unclear whether Yoon had received it.
READ: South Korean president faces second impeachment vote as thousands rally
The investigators had called on the 64-year-old to appear for questioning at 10:00 am (0100 GMT) on Christmas Day. Local media reported that the holiday was chosen to accommodate Yoon, as traffic and crowds would likely be lighter.
If Yoon appears, he would become the first sitting South Korean president to face questioning by an investigative agency. He failed to attend the initial hearing last Wednesday and gave no explanation for his absence.
Should Yoon fail to appear on Wednesday, the Corruption Investigation Office could seek an arrest warrant to compel him to appear - also an unprecedented move against a sitting president.
Yoon remains suspended from office while the Constitutional Court considers whether to uphold his impeachment. The court has approximately six months to issue its ruling. Should the court decide to remove him from office, a by-election should be held within two months.