Yoon gets down and dirty to stymie interrogation
Yoon Suk-yeol is said to have refused arrest by 'lying on the floor without wearing his prison-issued clothing'. File photo: Reuters
South Korea's impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol lay on his prison cell floor in his underwear to resist attempts to interrogate him, prosecutors said on Friday.
Prosecutors obtained a fresh arrest warrant on Thursday to forcibly bring the former leader in for questioning over allegations of election tampering.
However, they were "unable to do so due to his strong refusal", prosecutor Oh Jeong-hee said.
"The suspect refused arrest while lying on the floor without wearing his prison-issued clothing," she said.
"Due to concerns over safety incidents, physical force was withheld, and the execution of the warrant was temporarily suspended."
Yoon was wearing "a sleeveless top and prison-issued briefs," prosecutors said, calling it the "most appropriate way" to describe his attire given the "serious nature of the situation".
Prosecutors informed Yoon they would have to carry out physical force if necessary in the next attempt.
Yoon was arrested after he tried to impose martial law on December 3, sending troops to parliament to prevent lawmakers from voting down his declaration and plunging the country into political turmoil.
He faces a litany of charges, from insurrection to election tampering, but has refused multiple times to appear at his summons.
Yoon's legal team said the prosecutors had shown a "disturbing disregard" for "basic human decency".
"The special counsel turned what should have been a press briefing into a stage for personal humiliation," Yoon's lawyer Yoo Jeong-hwa said.
"What kind of legal institution in a civilised country gives a real-time report and commentary to journalists on a detainee's clothing, especially in a cramped cell nearing 40 degrees [Celsius]?"
Yoon's lawyers said the former president suffers from "several underlying conditions that pose significant challenges to maintaining his health", making it difficult for him to fully cooperate with the investigation.
South Korea's justice minister told a parliamentary hearing that it was "frankly embarrassing for a former president to behave that way".
"He had been wearing a short-sleeved top and trousers, but reportedly removed his prison uniform when the special counsel team attempted to enforce the arrest warrant, only to put it back on immediately after they left," Jung Sung-ho said.
"We will ensure he is treated with appropriate dignity, without raising any suspicion of preferential treatment, in light of his former position," he added. (AFP)
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