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| ▲ This compilation image shows former President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and his wife, Kim Keon Hee. (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) ex-first lady-summons
(2nd LD) Special counsel summons ex-President Yoon, ex-first lady Kim to appear for questioning
(ATTN: UPDATES with Yoon's statement at bottom)
SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- A special counsel team said Monday it has summoned former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former first lady Kim Keon Hee to appear for questioning over allegations of election interference and other irregularities.
Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team sent a summons to the Seoul Detention Center where Yoon is under arrest to request his appearance as a suspect at 10 a.m. July 29, assistant special counsel Moon Hong-ju said during a press briefing.
The team also mailed a summons to Kim's residence to request her appearance as a suspect at 10 a.m. on Aug. 6, he said.
Kim is expected to be questioned about her alleged involvement in two different stock price manipulation schemes, her alleged acceptance of luxury goods from a shaman, and her alleged meddling in election nominations, according to a team official.
Yoon is also suspected of interfering in nominations for elections.
The summons for Kim lists charges of violating the Capital Market Act, among other laws, while the summons for Yoon accuses him of violating the Public Official Election Act.
"We have not yet received the request for appearance," the former first lady's lawyers said in a statement to the press. "However, there is no change in the former first lady's basic position that she will respond faithfully."
Whether the couple will comply with the summonses remains to be seen.
Yoon has defied multiple appearance requests by special counsel Cho Eun-suk, who is charged with investigating the former president's failed attempt to impose martial law.
In a statement Monday, Yoon said he would do his best to "uncover the truth" behind his martial law declaration at his criminal trial amid continued wrangling over his boycott of questioning by the special counsel team.
"I believe that history will ultimately be the judge of whether my judgment was right and whether the martial law was the right decision," Yoon said, while urging against what he described as the special counsel team's "unfair oppression" of officials who followed his orders.
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