Arrest warrant issued for ex-President Yoon after repeated no-shows for questioning
Published: 31 Jul. 2025, 15:58
![Former President Yoon Suk Yeol leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 9 after attending a pretrial detention hearing. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/07/31/dcccc58c-de51-449d-890a-9ea8b0503b5b.jpg)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 9 after attending a pretrial detention hearing. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
A local court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol after he repeatedly failed to comply with summonses from a special counsel probing his alleged role in political meddling during the 2022 by-election.
The team led by special counsel Min Joong-ki, tasked with investigating allegations involving Yoon’s wife Kim Keon Hee, plans to execute the warrant at 9 a.m. Friday at the Seoul Detention Center, where Yoon is currently held. The warrant remains valid through Aug. 7.
The Seoul Central District Court approved the arrest request after Yoon ignored two consecutive summonses on Tuesday and Wednesday without giving a valid reason.
Yoon, who was detained on July 10 and is currently incarcerated at the Seoul Detention Center, did not respond to the special counsel’s requests to appear for questioning. In response, the special counsel filed for an arrest warrant on Wednesday.
“The special counsel will visit the detention center at 9 a.m. tomorrow [Aug. 1] to execute the arrest warrant,” the team said during a press briefing on Thursday, noting that assistant special counsel Moon Hong-joo will oversee the procedure, with detention center officers expected to carry out the arrest.
Yoon is suspected of accepting free public opinion polling from political broker Myung Tae-kyun during the 2022 by-election and allegedly influencing the nomination of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun at Myung’s request in exchange.
Assistant special counsel Oh Jung-hee said in a Wednesday briefing that “Yoon failed to appear again today [July 30], despite being resummoned at 10 a.m. after not showing up yesterday. He did not provide any explanation for his absence.”
The team cited this repeated noncompliance as the basis for the warrant request.
Yoon’s legal team said it submitted a physician’s letter to the detention center stating that he faces a risk of vision loss due to complications from an eye condition and diabetes.
This marks the fourth time prosecutors or special investigators have sought Yoon’s arrest. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials requested warrants twice during a separate sedition probe. The current special counsel made the third request on June 24, which the court rejected.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)