Yun, likely to refuse Kim Geon-hee's special prosecutor summons... Possibility of warrant for former Minister Lee Sang-min

[Financial News]  Former President Yun Seok-yeol is expected not to attend the first suspect investigation scheduled for the 29th on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act, citing health deterioration. Former President Yun is refusing both investigation and trial after being detained.
According to the legal community on the 27th, former President Yun is known to have decided on this course of action in response to the summons notice for 10 a.m. on the 29th from the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor team (Min Jung-gi special prosecutor). Former President Yun's side claims that his health has deteriorated to the point where it is difficult to move after being detained at Seoul Detention Center by the special prosecutor team for rebellion and foreign affairs (Cho Eun-seok special prosecutor) on the 10th.
Former President Yun has consistently refused to attend the rebellion special prosecutor team's investigation and rebellion trial, citing health deterioration as the reason.
Earlier, on the 18th, during the detention review hearing, former President Yun expressed that he needed to be released due to difficulties in eating and exercising caused by worsening diabetes and rising liver levels. On the 23rd, he submitted a defense opinion to the court conducting the trial on charges of rebellion leadership and abuse of power, stating that it was difficult to attend the trial due to health reasons.
In the rebellion case trial conducted under the jurisdiction of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Agreement Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Gui-yeon), the special prosecutor team is persuading the court that forced attendance of former President Yun, who refuses to attend due to health reasons, is necessary.
Former President Yun and his wife are suspected of having helped former lawmaker Kim Young-sun receive a nomination in the by-election held in the same year in exchange for receiving free public opinion surveys from 'political broker' Myung Tae-gyun during the 2022 presidential election process. Myung is found to have conducted illegal public opinion surveys a total of 81 times.
According to the released phone recording, former President Yun told Myung on May 9, 2022, the day before the announcement of the People's Power by-election nomination, "I told you to help Kim Young-sun because I worked hard since the primary, but there are many talks in the party," and "I will talk to Sang-hyun (Yun lawmaker) once more. He is the chairman of the nomination committee."
Mrs. Kim is also suspected of exerting influence to run former Deputy Prosecutor Kim Sang-min in the Changwon Uichang area of Gyeongnam, where former lawmaker Kim Young-sun's constituency was located in last year's general election.
The special prosecutor team summoned lawmaker Yun for investigation after searching and seizing current and former lawmakers to uncover the truth of the allegations. Myung was notified to appear on the 28th. The schedule is being coordinated with former lawmaker Kim Young-sun, who once refused the summons.
The current summons request for former President Yun also specifies the charge of false statement under the Public Official Election Act. In the People's Power primary debate in October 2021, he explained the suspicion of Mrs. Kim's involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation by saying, "I entrusted (management) for about four months, but there was a loss." Subsequently, a civic group accused him of violating the election law, claiming this explanation was a false statement.
Mrs. Kim, who is suspected of involvement in the Deutsche stock manipulation, Myung Tae-gyun's nomination intervention, and Gun-jin monk solicitation, has been notified by the special prosecutor to appear as a suspect for investigation on the 6th of next month. Mrs. Kim's side is reportedly maintaining the stance of responding to the face-to-face investigation on that day. However, it is unclear whether public summons is included.
Meanwhile, the rebellion special prosecutor team summoned former Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min the previous day and conducted a 'marathon investigation' for 19 hours. There is an analysis that there is a possibility of requesting an arrest warrant soon. Former Minister Lee is suspected of 'conspiracy' through instructions for power and water cuts, beyond 'aiding and abetting' the failure to declare martial law.




theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter