Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared before a special prosecutor on Saturday (June 28), facing the threat of another arrest as the probe into his unsuccessful attempt to declare martial law in December intensified. Yoon’s legal team criticized the summons, claiming it violated his rights and was intended to disgrace him publicly by forcing him to appear in front of the media. Despite this, his lawyers stated that Yoon would cooperate with the investigation and speak the truth, labeling the probe as "politically motivated" and filled with "falsehoods and distortions."

Yoon did not respond to questions from reporters as he entered the special prosecutor’s office. The failed attempt to impose martial law in December stunned many in South Korea, a nation proud of its transition from military dictatorship in the 1980s to a stable democracy. Yoon was officially removed from office in April, after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment by parliament.

Previously, the special prosecutor had sought an arrest warrant against Yoon for ignoring multiple summons, but a court denied the request, noting that he had since shown willingness to participate in the investigation. The special prosecutor, appointed earlier in June, has assembled a team of over 200 investigators and prosecutors to handle the ongoing cases against Yoon, who served as South Korea’s top prosecutor before winning the presidency in 2022. Yoon is already on trial for orchestrating the December 3 martial law announcement. He was initially arrested in January after resisting arrest despite a valid warrant, but was released after 52 days due to legal technicalities.