SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was summoned for questioning on Saturday over allegations of military mutiny, a charge that carries the death penalty and could further compound his legal woes following a recent life sentence for insurrection.
The second special counsel team, led by Kwon Chang-young, began interrogating Yoon at around 10 a.m. local time. Yoon, attending his second summons as a suspect in the mutiny probe, arrived secretly via an underground entrance in a Justice Ministry convoy.
Investigators are focusing on allegations that Yoon conspired with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former Army Chief of Staff Park An-su to deploy armed troops to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission to incite a rebellion.
While charges under the Military Criminal Act typically apply only to military personnel, the special counsel concluded that civilians can be prosecuted if they collude with military figures.
Under South Korean military law, the sole statutory punishment for masterminding a mutiny is the death penalty. If convicted, Yoon could face an aggravated sentence.
The former president is already appealing a life sentence handed down in his first trial for masterminding an insurrection. He is also appealing a separate 30-year prison term for charges of foreign aggression related to the deployment of unmanned drones to Pyongyang.
Yoon's legal team has strongly criticized the latest probe, labeling it "double prosecution." They argue that the act of deploying the military to parliament was already included in the facts of his insurrection conviction, claiming that prosecuting the same act under a different charge violates the constitutional principle against double jeopardy.
The special counsel team plans to review the legal framework based on Yoon's statements on Saturday before deciding whether to formally indict him.
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