Yoon appears for questioning to avoid bloodshed

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. (File Photo: 윤석열/Facebook)

By Yonhap, Philippine News Agency

SEOUL – Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday he decided to appear before an anti-corruption agency’s questioning to avoid risks of bloodshed, while claiming the agency’s probe is “illegal”.

He issued the statement before heading to the headquarters of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, as the CIO and the police executed a warrant to detain the besieged president over his short-lived imposition of martial law.

“To prevent an unfortunate and violent incident, I decided to appear before the CIO even though I believe the investigation is illegal,” he said in a video message recorded at his residence in Yongsan, central Seoul.

Investigators detained Yoon on charges of leading an insurrection, marking the first time a sitting president has been arrested.