Martial Law Row: South Korean Investigators Request That Impeached President Appear for Questioning

Seoul: South Korean law enforcement authorities will request that impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol appear for questioning this week over his short-lived martial law decree as they expand a probe into whether his ill-conceived power grab amounted to rebellion.

A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry plans to convey a request to Yoon's office that he appears for questioning on Wednesday, the police said Monday.

Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Saturday over his martial law enforcement on Dec. 3. His presidential powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him.

South Korean prosecutors, who are pushing a separate investigation into the incident, also reportedly asked Yoon to appear at a prosecution office for questioning on Sunday but he refused to do so. Repeated calls to a prosecutors’ office in Seoul were unanswered.

The request came before the Constitutional Court meets to discuss the case later Monday. The court has up to 180 days to rule. But observers say that a court ruling could come faster.

In the case of parliamentary impeachments of past presidents — Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016 — the court spent 63 days and 91 days respectively before determining to reinstate Roh and dismiss Park.

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