▲ Rep. Na Kyung-won visiting the protest site
It has been confirmed that the 2nd Comprehensive Special Counsel team, led by Kwon Chang-young, notified People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won to appear for questioning regarding allegations of obstructing the arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, but she has refused to comply.
Special Prosecutor Assistant Kim Ji-mi stated in a regular briefing today (June 15) that "we notified Rep. Na to appear for questioning on the 19th regarding the case of former President Yoon's arrest, but received a response stating that she would 'submit a written statement instead.'"
Rep. Na and other People Power Party lawmakers gathered in front of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong last January to hold a protest condemning the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) as it attempted to execute an arrest warrant for former President Yoon. They were subsequently reported for charges including participation in obstructing the arrest.
Former President Yoon, who was charged with ordering the obstruction of the arrest, was sentenced to seven years in prison by an appellate court in April.
As both the Cho Eun-seok Special Counsel team for the insurrection case and the defense counsel have appealed, the case has moved to the Supreme Court for review.
In addition, the special counsel team announced that it had notified First Lady Kim Keon-hee to appear for questioning as a witness regarding the "alleged cover-up of the Deutsch Motors investigation."
The special counsel team reported that Kim's side refused the summons, stating that she "would not undergo witness questioning."
The "alleged cover-up of the Deutsch Motors investigation" involves claims that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict Kim, who was identified as an accomplice, without conducting a proper investigation when disposing of the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case.
At the time, the prosecution did not summon Kim to the office for questioning but instead visited a facility under the Presidential Security Service for a private, off-site investigation.
This sparked criticism from within and outside the prosecution, with allegations that she was granted special treatment to avoid appearing before the press at a photo line.
Allegations have also been raised that Kim attempted a "self-cover-up" of the investigation, such as by sending messages to then-Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae to inquire about the formation of a dedicated investigation team and the status of the probe.
In connection with this, the special counsel team summoned Lee Chang-soo, the former head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office who was in the prosecution's chain of command at the time, as a suspect today.
An investigation into Cho Sang-won, the former 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, is also scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
The special counsel team stated, "We intended to investigate Kim regarding the 'emperor-style investigation' allegations, but she refused to appear," adding, "We will announce our future course of action once it is decided."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.