South Korea's president does not intend to participate in further questioning

South Korean President Yun Seok-yol will not attend the interrogation, which is to be held on the second day of his detention, due to poor health. This was announced by the head of state's lawyer Yoon Gap Geun on January 16.

"President Yoon's health is poor and he fully expressed his position yesterday, so there is no need for further investigation," Yonhap News Agency quoted the lawyer as saying.

President Yoon's explanation is, the lawyer clarified, that during the first interrogation by the Corruption Investigation Office, which took place immediately after Yoon Seok-yeol's arrest, the president pointed out the legality of martial law and also stated that treason had not been established.

In addition, the agency's material says that the president spent the whole night in a Seoul detention center, and before that he participated in an interrogation that lasted more than 10 hours.

Investigators arrested the South Korean president the day before, January 15. Yonhap News Agency reported that several prosecutors and investigators traveled from the police department to the presidential residence in Seoul to execute the arrest.

Yoon Seok-yeol later said in a video message that his arrest was a "voluntary appearance." He also added that he went along with the investigators to avoid "bloodshed." In addition, according to the South Korean president, the legal system in the country is "completely destroyed" and the courts "issue fake official documents, misleading citizens."

Before that, on January 7, it was reported that in South Korea, the court issued a warrant for the re-arrest of the president of the Republic, as in the first attempt to arrest the investigators encountered difficulties in executing the warrant.

In late December, the court issued the first arrest warrant for Yoon Seok-yeol. On January 3, it was reported that law enforcers arrived at the South Korean president's residence to arrest him. It was specified that a total of about 150 law enforcement officers were sent - about 30 employees of the anti-corruption investigation office for high-ranking officials and 120 police officers. Then it was also reported that the President's security service did not allow the investigation to search his residence in Seoul. The President's lawyers said that the arrest warrant was invalid.

The situation in the Republic of Korea escalated in early December 2024, when President Yun Seok-yol declared martial law. The reason for this step he called the threat of paralysis of power, arising from attempts to conduct impeachment proceedings. Commander of the emergency regime - Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces Park Ahn-soo noted that until the lifting of martial law in the republic prohibited the activities of the parliament, political parties and associations. Military equipment was brought to the streets of Seoul.