Yesterday (January 17), the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) and the opposition Democratic Party (DPK) fiercely debated a bill to open a special investigation into impeached President Yoon.
Deadlock in parliament
Newspaper The Korea Times reported that PPP MP Kweon Seong-dong and DPK MP Park Chan-dae agreed to participate in negotiations on the special investigation bill, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik chairing yesterday’s discussion . The vote was supposed to be held at 2:00 p.m. the same day, but the PPP asked to postpone it because it disagreed with the opposition on the contents of the bill.
Police forces guarded the place where Mr. Yoon was detained on January 17
For example, ruling party parliamentarians did not agree with the DPK’s part accusing President Yoon of committing treason for trying to incite war with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. And PPP proposed reducing the investigation time from 150 days to 110 days compared to DPK’s proposal, while the number of investigators was also reduced from 155 to 58.
Meanwhile, Mr. Yoon on the same day once again boycotted the Corruption Investigation Office’s summons against senior Korean officials (CIO). Yonhap quoted lawyer Seok Dong-hyeon representing the president as stating the reason for not continuing to comply with the summons because his client gave his basic opinions during the first interrogation lasting more than 10 hours on January 15. . “You don’t see any reason or need to answer this type of questioning anymore,” the lawyer said.
What happened in the detention facility of Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol?
Although President Yoon was interrogated for many hours from the evening of January 15, he exercised his right to remain silent before refusing to appear the next time the next day (January 16) citing health reasons, according to Korean media. Quoc. By yesterday, the CIO had almost finished preparing to submit the next arrest warrant to the Seoul Western District Court. In case the application is received, the court is likely to hold a hearing on January 18 before deciding whether to allow Mr. Yoon’s arrest or not. If approved, the CIO can arrest the president late this week or early next week.
Mr. Yoon’s future
If Mr. Yoon is officially arrested, investigators can extend his detention for up to 20 days. During this process, they will transfer the file to the prosecutor to prepare for prosecution, paving the way for a detention period lasting several months or longer. According to AP, if prosecutors prosecute Mr. Yoon for rebellion and abuse of power, they can detain Mr. Yoon for up to 6 months until the court makes a preliminary ruling.
If the first court finds guilty and receives a prison sentence, Mr. Yoon will have to serve his sentence while the case can be taken to the appeals court and the Supreme Court. According to Korean law, acts of rebellion can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or even death. To avoid being convicted of rebellion, President Yoon needs to prove in court that martial law on December 3, 2024 is only a temporary measure and a “peaceful” warning to opposition parliamentarians. The president accused the opposition of trying to use its majority to obstruct the government’s work agenda and paralyze state-level issues.
Also yesterday, Mr. Kim Seong-hoon, acting commander of the presidential guard force (PSS), was arrested for allegedly obstructing investigators from executing an arrest warrant against President Yoon, Yonhap reported. The police initially planned to arrest Mr. Kim on January 15, but then withdrew the decision at the request of Mr. Yoon.
Concerned about the first lady’s health
Yesterday, newspaper The Korea Times reported that Ms. Kim Keon Hee, Mr. Yoon’s wife, is in poor health while continuing to reside at the presidential palace in Hannam-dong (Seoul). Her health is said to be problematic after her husband, impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, was detained for investigation, according to PPP MP Kwon Young-jin.
Mr. Kwon Young-jin was among about 30 ruling party lawmakers gathered in front of the palace’s outer gate at the time police and CIO investigators executed the arrest warrant for the second time. Many ruling party officials said the first lady hardly ate or drank and took many different medications to get through the day. However, there are opinions from the opposition urging the Ministry of Justice to issue an exit ban on Ms. Kim Keon Hee and open an investigation into the possibility that she was her husband’s accomplice in the rebellion plot.
