Prosecutors are considering compelling former President Yoon Suk Yeol to appear for questioning about a probe into the 2023 death of a Marine after he initially refused their summons.

The team led by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon stated in a briefing that Yoon claimed he would have difficulty appearing on Saturday, in compliance with his most recent summons, due to issues involving his lawyers.

The special counsel team said it plans to proceed with the investigation and warned that if Yoon does not appear on Saturday morning, as scheduled, and continues to refuse the summons, they will consider forcibly bringing him in.

The team noted that Yoon had previously declined a request to appear in October, citing his lawyers’ busy court schedules. The prosecutors said they had rescheduled the interrogation for a Saturday, when courts are closed, and given the former president sufficient notice of the date.

The team added that it was looking into possible alternate dates for the questioning.

Yoon stands accused of interfering with a military investigation into the death of the Marine, who was swept away during a rescue mission under torrential monsoon rains without wearing a life vest or other safety equipment in 2023.

Yoon has repeatedly refused to cooperate with investigators since he was placed in pretrial detention for a second time in July on charges related to his December 3 martial law declaration.