Anchor: Special prosecutor Min Joong-ki's team in charge of probing allegations against former first lady Kim Keon-hee has failed in its second attempt to bring in former President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning due to Yoon's strong resistance. The team is also seeking to detain Kim before her trial over violations of the Capital Markets Act, Political Fund Act and taking part in bribery as an intermediary.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: A special counsel team on Thursday called off its second attempt to execute a warrant to arrest jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning amid concerns about potential injury due to his strong resistance.

In a press notice, special prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s team, probing allegations on former first lady Kim Keon-hee, said it attempted to execute the warrant using physical force starting around 8:25 a.m. at the Seoul Detention Center, where Yoon is being detained over his martial law action.

However, the operation was halted at around 9:40 a.m. in the wake of the former president's refusal to cooperate and concern over the possibility of injury.

The special team, which previously failed to arrest Yoon last Friday, will likely deliberate on whether to seek another warrant as the current one is set to expire after Thursday, or to send Yoon to trial with no in-person interrogation.

Yoon faces allegations of intervening in nominations for the then-ruling People Power Party ahead of a by-election in 2022.

Self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun's polling firm is suspected of working for Yoon free of charge ahead of the 2022 presidential race, conducting 81 favorable surveys in exchange for Yoon’s influence in securing the party’s nomination for former Rep. Kim Young-sun.

Yoon’s attorneys, meanwhile, said they plan to press criminal charges against the special team, claiming that some ten people tried to remove Yoon by holding onto his limbs and lifting the chair that he was sitting on, at one point causing him to fall to the ground.

Meanwhile, the team also filed for pretrial detention of the former first lady on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act and the Political Fund Act, as well as taking part in bribery as an intermediary, a day after questioning her on alleged stock manipulation, intervention in the PPP's election nominations, and graft involving the Unification Church.

Investigators are seeking a warrant out of concern over evidence destruction, as Kim has denied most of the charges against her.

A court hearing to review the request is set for Tuesday.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.