Yoon claims special counsel tried to carry him out of jail cell in chair
Published: 07 Aug. 2025, 15:48
Updated: 07 Aug. 2025, 17:59
![Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appears at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 9 for a pretrial detention hearing. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/07/0df18aba-fed1-4bf3-9d1c-885d92651ce6.jpg)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appears at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 9 for a pretrial detention hearing. [NEWS1]
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was injured while special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team attempted to remove him for questioning at the Seoul Detention Center on Thursday, according to his legal representatives.
“The special counsel grabbed former President Yoon’s arm, and when he resisted strongly, they attempted to lift the chair [he was] sitting in,” attorneys Bae Bo-yoon and Song Jin-ho said at a press conference in front of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho District, southern Seoul.
“Former President Yoon hit his lower back against the leg of the chair, and his arm was pulled so forcefully that he said, ‘It feels like my arm is going to come out. Please, let go.’ He managed to escape the use of force only with great difficulty,” they added.
“He fell and complained of pain in his back and arm [pain] after falling from the chair.”
The lawyers criticized the attempt as unprecedented, stating, “This is the first time in history that [a sitting special counsel has] tried to physically drag a detained suspect with a court-issued arrest warrant.”
They vowed to hold the team accountable, saying, “All illegal acts will be met with legal consequences.”
![Attorneys Bae Bo-yoon and Song Jin-ho, the legal representatives of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, hold a news conference in front of the High Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 7 regarding the special counsel team investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee's second failed attempt to question Yoon. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/07/b1844f55-075a-43ab-a3bf-6cdebda7e3e2.jpg)
Attorneys Bae Bo-yoon and Song Jin-ho, the legal representatives of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, hold a news conference in front of the High Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 7 regarding the special counsel team investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee's second failed attempt to question Yoon. [NEWS1]
According to the team investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee, they arrived at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi, at 8:25 a.m. and attempted to remove Yoon from his cell using physical force.
However, they halted the attempt around 9:40 a.m. after encountering strong resistance and being advised of possible injury risks.
Yoon was later moved to the detention center’s medical wing after the special counsel team withdrew.
This was the second failed attempt to bring Yoon in for questioning following a similar outcome on Aug. 1. With the arrest warrant expiring Thursday, the special counsel team is likely considering whether to seek a new warrant or proceed with indictment without an in-person interrogation.
Later in the day, the special counsel team told reporters during a regular briefing at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office that it may request a bench warrant for Yoon if he fails to appear in court.
Yoon’s trial, which was paused for the court’s summer recess, is set to resume next week.
Assistant special counsel Park Ji-young said the team had been questioning National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik since around 9:45 a.m. as a witness in his capacity as the presiding officer of the Assembly’s vote on a motion to rescind the martial law order and as the legislature’s representative during the military and police blockade of the Assembly.
“The investigation is focused on Speaker Woo’s role, and the circumstances within the Assembly at the time, in efforts to swiftly lift what we believe was an unconstitutional and illegal martial law,” Park said. “Today’s testimony will greatly aid in uncovering the truth.”
Park noted, however, that “some witnesses are refusing to cooperate with the investigation into suspicions that the Assembly vote was obstructed,” expressing hope that Speaker Woo’s cooperation would encourage other Assembly members to comply with requests to appear as witnesses.
The special counsel team also questioned former National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik and former Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Thursday as witnesses.
As part of its probe into the alleged obstruction of the Assembly vote, the team summoned Kim Min-ki, parliamentary secretary general, on July 15 as both a witness and victim. On July 30, it also questioned Rep. Kim Sang-wook of the Democratic Party. It plans to summon Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae, a candidate for chair of the People Power Party, as a witness on Aug. 11.
Yoon is under investigation following allegations that he aided Kim Young-sun, a former People Power Party lawmaker, in securing a nomination in the 2022 parliamentary by-election.
The nomination allegedly came in return for opinion polling services from political broker Myung Tae-kyun during the presidential campaign.
Yoon has denied the allegations.
Update, Aug. 7: Added details about special counsel team's plans for Yoon's investigation and ongoing witness summons.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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