Special Prosecutor: 'If Yoon Fails to Appear Tomorrow, Arrest Warrant Will Be Considered'... Im Seong-geun Voluntarily Appears After Attempted Forcible Escort

[Financial News] The Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Team, led by Lee Myeong-hyeon, is deliberating its next steps after Yoon Suk Yeol’s side expressed their intention not to comply with the investigation scheduled for the 8th. The special prosecutor is even considering the possibility of requesting an arrest warrant.
At a regular briefing on the 7th, Jeong Min-young, assistant special prosecutor for the Chae Sang-byeong investigation, stated, 'Yoon’s side submitted a statement of non-appearance yesterday, citing the attorney’s circumstances as the reason for not being able to comply with the appearance request for the 8th.' He added, 'Yoon also failed to appear in response to the first request last month, citing the attorney’s court schedule. Taking the attorney’s opinion into account, we even rescheduled for Saturday to allow more time, so the special prosecutor will proceed with the investigation as planned.'
When asked about the possibility of seeking an arrest warrant, he replied, 'We are reviewing it, but nothing has been decided yet. We will inform you after assessing tomorrow’s situation.'
If Yoon appears, the special prosecutor plans to focus the investigation on allegations of external pressure on the probe. Previously, the special prosecutor had notified Yoon to appear before the team on the 8th for questioning.
On this day, the special prosecutor escorted Im Seong-geun, former commander of the 1st Marine Division, from Seoul Detention Center for questioning, as he had not cooperated with the investigation while in custody. The team exercised its authority to bring the suspect in for questioning under the valid arrest warrant. When the attempt at compulsory appearance was made, Im Seong-geun expressed his willingness to appear voluntarily without resistance.
After completing the investigation of Im Seong-geun, the special prosecutor plans to indict all suspects of professional negligence resulting in death before the detention period expires on the 11th. This case is expected to be the first indictment by the special prosecutor.
Meanwhile, the special prosecutor also commented on the controversy regarding the travel ban notification for Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party. The team stated, 'We understand that a travel ban was imposed on the suspect, and such bans are extended in one-month increments.' They added, 'This time, the ban was not extended, which is why the individual was notified.' The special prosecutor further noted that there are no plans for additional questioning of Han Dong-hoon.

scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter