[Anchor]
Former President Yoon Seok-yeol, who had previously refused to cooperate with the special prosecutor’s investigation and the treason trial, even causing an uproar by refusing to wear anything but his underwear, has stated that he will attend his bail hearing. His attorneys explained that “it is a situation where he must attend according to the law,” yet they have indicated he will not appear for the special prosecutor’s investigation tomorrow.
This is Kim Hye-ri reporting.
[Reporter]
Former President Yoon Seok-yeol announced he will attend the first trial date of the abuse of power case, additionally indicted by the treason special prosecutor, on the 26th. He stated he would attend the court session where his bail hearing will take place. This marks his first appearance outside the detention center in about two months, following his appearance on July 18th for the review of the legality of his detention.
The situation in July was quite similar to the current one. Former President Yoon refused to participate in investigations and trials. However, when the review of his detention was scheduled, he declared his intention to appear, stating he intended to personally appeal his severely deteriorating health condition.
However, the court dismissed his detention review request, and Former President Yoon did not attend the total of ten treason trials. He resisted even more stubbornly against the special prosecutor’s summons. Despite holding out in his underwear, necessitating a special team’s intervention, he ultimately did not leave the detention center. This led to a controversy over the release of footage among the political circles.
Then, this past Friday on the 19th, he applied for bail in court, citing that it is challenging to exercise his right to defense while incarcerated and his deteriorating health. He claimed that if bail is granted, he would actively participate in ongoing trials. Nevertheless, he continued to miss the special prosecutor’s investigations and trials, opting instead to attend only the trial session scheduled for his bail hearing. The treason special prosecutor notified him to appear for an investigation tomorrow regarding foreign exchange allegations, but Former President Yoon stated he would not attend.
[Video coverage by Hong Seung-jae, video editing by Kang Kyung-ah]