Former President Yoon Seok-yeol is once again at a crossroads after just four months since his release, as prosecutors move to have him re-detained.

On July 6, the special investigative team led by Special Counsel Cho Eun-seok announced it had requested a detention warrant against former President Yoon at the Seoul Central District Court. Notably, this move came just 18 days after the special investigation began on June 18—a pace considered highly unusual for such a high-profile case.

The new detention warrant adds several charges to those previously included, such as abuse of power directed at cabinet members, falsification of official documents, and obstruction of public officials in the course of duty. Among the allegations, Yoon is accused of abusing his authority by excluding certain cabinet members from participating in the emergency martial law meeting last December, thereby deliberately hindering their rights to review and vote.

Additionally, investigators assert that Yoon ordered the drafting of a “post-event martial law declaration” to mask legal defects in the original decree. The declaration was signed by former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo and other officials, and then subsequently destroyed—acts now outlined as falsification of official documents and violations of the Presidential Records Management Act.

The warrant application also details Yoon’s direct orders to security agents during the failed attempt to execute the first arrest warrant. The document reportedly cites Yoon instructing staff that “just showing your firearms will intimidate the police,” illustrating a more overt obstruction of law enforcement.

Special Counsel Cho added that the team included allegations that Yoon ordered the deletion of records from encrypted military phones used by senior officials such as former Counterespionage Commander Yeo In-hyeong, in a bid to erase sensitive communications related to the martial law situation.

However, the charge of external rebellion—regarded as central to the entire emergency—is not included in this detention warrant. The special counsel’s office explained that, should they secure physical custody of Yoon, the investigation into allegations such as instructing operations with North Korean drones will proceed in earnest.

This latest warrant request comes 120 days after Yoon’s release on March 8, when a previous arrest was canceled by the court.

Yoon was first detained on January 15 this year after two abortive arrest attempts by the Corruption Investigation Office. He was later indicted on January 26, facing charges as the ringleader of an insurrection, but released on March 8 following the court’s decision to cancel his detention.

Driven by the philosophy that “investigation is war,” Special Counsel Cho has carried out an unusually swift and aggressive investigation, seeking to re-arrest Yoon. Despite the dismissal of a prior warrant, Cho’s team repeatedly summoned Yoon for questioning.

On July 5, Yoon appeared at the special counsel’s office and underwent a second round of face-to-face questioning, which lasted 14 and a half hours, including nearly five hours spent reviewing the written report. Yoon reportedly denied most of the allegations, firmly stating he “did not give such orders.”

A spokesperson for Yoon’s legal team asserted, “Neither witness testimony nor objective evidence proved any of the accusations. This new arrest warrant is an excessive fishing expedition.”

Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Court announced that Yoon’s pretrial detention hearing will take place at 2:15 p.m. on July 9. Yoon is expected to appear in court in person to present his defense.

The outcome of the hearing will determine whether Yoon is re-detained. The court is expected to make a decision late on July 9 or in the early morning hours of July 10.

If the warrant is granted, the special counsel’s investigation into additional charges—especially those related to external actions—could accelerate. Conversely, if denied, the investigations into the insurrection allegations may lose substantial momentum.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News