Ex-President Yoon Questioned Over Martial Law Messages

SEOUL, June 6 (Yonhap) -- Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was questioned by a special counsel team Saturday on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of rights in connection with messages allegedly used to justify his declaration of martial law.

Yoon arrived at the office of the team led by special counsel Kwon Chang-young in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, for questioning at about 10 a.m. and left around 4:30 p.m. It marked his first appearance before the team since its launch in February. Though Yoon remained at the office for about 6 1/2 hours, the actual questioning lasted only about two hours due to disruptions during the morning session, as he refused to be questioned by a police officer seconded to the team and demanded that a person with prosecutorial authority be present, according to sources.

He is alleged to have directed the foreign ministry and the National Security Office (NSO) to send messages to allies, including the United States, portraying his martial law declaration as legitimate. The messages reportedly framed the measures as necessary to safeguard democracy and counter pro-North Korean forces. The NSO was believed to have delivered Yoon's message to the National Intelligence Service the day after the martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, where it was translated into English and briefed to a CIA official, according to the team. Investigators are said to have focused on Yoon's intention behind the messages and the circumstances surrounding their transmission.

Yoon reportedly denied the main allegations during the questioning. "Yoon did not issue detailed instructions to either the NSO or the foreign ministry, nor did he receive any follow-up reports," one of Yoon's lawyers told Yonhap News Agency after the session. "He only made a general comment that the government should do a better job of public communication."

Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment by a district court in February over his failed martial law bid, while a special prosecution investigation has continued into multiple other cases involving the martial law declaration, his wife Kim Keon Hee's alleged corruption scandal and other suspicions. Yoon is being held at the Seoul Detention Center.