Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol is framing himself as a victim of political persecution as he continues to defy investigators seeking to question him over his corruption allegations and aborted martial law bid, according to analysts.
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Prosecutors failed to bring Yoon out from his detention cell for questioning for a second time on Thursday, with one analyst saying he is aiming to rally public sympathy and galvanise his conservative support base through his unyielding resistance.
“By resisting his arrest for questioning, Yoon is positioning himself as a victim of illegitimate law enforcement by the special prosecutors. He’s also signalling to his supporters to continue their struggle,” Jung Suk-koo, a former executive editor at The Hankyoreh, told This Week in Asia.
Yoon was arrested on January 15 over his martial law declaration last December, which prosecutors argue is tantamount to insurrection. The 63‑year‑old could face charges carrying life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
On Thursday, a team of special investigators led by prosecutor Min Joong-ki tried to bring Yoon from his cell at the Seoul Detention Centre to their office for interrogation over alleged corruption and influence peddling involving him and his wife, Kim Keon-hee.
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