The first investigation of President Yoon Suk-yeol by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) concluded after approximately 10 hours and 40 minutes.

On the 15th (KST), the CIO announced, "Today's investigation of President Yoon, whose arrest warrant was executed, ended around 9:40 PM."

Following the investigation, President Yoon was transported directly to the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, for detention.

Earlier in the day, the CIO arrested President Yoon at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan, and brought him to the government complex in Gwacheon for questioning as a suspect on charges of leading an insurrection.

Including breaks, the investigation lasted about 10 hours and 40 minutes in total.

Given the gravity of the case and the protocol for a sitting president, Deputy Chief Investigator Lee Jae-seung of the CIO personally conducted the morning session. In the afternoon, Deputy Prosecutors Lee Dae-hwan and Cha Jeong-hyun took turns questioning President Yoon.

Yoon was represented by attorney Yoon Gap-geun during the proceedings. The CIO stated that the President refrained from making any statements throughout the investigation, not even to declare his intention to remain silent.

However, in a phone interview with Yonhap News, attorney Yoon explained, "The President's stance is that there are no charges to deny. He provided broad responses and opted to address individual questions through a written opinion from the defense." He added that a written opinion would be submitted to the CIO shortly.

President Yoon did not review or sign the investigation report after the session. Instead, attorney Yoon, acting as his representative, reviewed and signed the report. Without the defendant’s signature, the report cannot serve as valid evidence in future legal proceedings. This approach appears to be a strategy to preemptively block the report from being used as material to substantiate a guilty verdict.

The CIO is expected to summon President Yoon to the Gwacheon government complex again on the 16th for further questioning. The exact time of the next session has not been disclosed.

The CIO must decide by 10:33 AM on the 17th, within 48 hours of the arrest, whether to file a request for a detention warrant. However, President Yoon's habeas corpus petition filed with the Seoul Central District Court, challenging the validity of the arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Western District Court, introduces a potential complication to the investigation schedule.

Upon receiving the habeas corpus petition, the court must hold a hearing within 48 hours to examine the detained individual, review investigative documents, and decide whether the arrest should be upheld.

As a result, a habeas corpus hearing could take place at the Seoul Central District Court as early as the 16th.

(Source: Yonhap News)