Seoul:
Suspended South Korean President Yun Seok-Yeol on Sunday refused a request to appear for questioning, marking the third time in two weeks that he has defied investigators' demands.
The investigative authorities investigating Mr. Yoon ordered him to appear in court at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Sunday for questioning, but he refused the request.
Yun, a former prosecutor, also did not appear at the hearing he was summoned to last Wednesday, and no explanation was given for his absence.
The Conservative leader was stripped of his duties by parliament on December 14 following a brief declaration of martial law that plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades.
In a drama that shocked allies of democratic South Korea around the world, Mr. Yoon faces impeachment and criminal charges for sedition, which could carry a life sentence or even the death penalty.
“President Yoon Seok-yeol did not appear at the Office of High-Level Corruption Investigation (CIO) at 10 a.m. today,” the office said in a statement.
“The Joint Investigation Headquarters will consider and decide on future measures,'' the statement said.
The CIO is expected to decide in the coming days whether to issue a fourth summons or ask the court to issue an arrest warrant to compel Yun's appearance.
He is being investigated by a joint team of prosecutors, the police, the defense ministry and anti-corruption officials, and the Constitutional Court is considering an impeachment bill passed by parliament.
If the court, which must rule within six months of impeachment, upholds the impeachment, a by-election must be held within 60 days of the court's decision.
Former President Park Geun-hye was impeached under similar circumstances, but she was only investigated after the Constitutional Court removed her from power.
A 10-page prosecutor's report obtained by AFP states that Yoon Seok-yeol gave the military the authority to fire weapons if necessary to storm parliament during the failed attempt to impose martial law.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
