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Former President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Seoul Central District Court for the eighth hearing in his insurrection case on June 23. / Source: Yonhap News

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol is locked in a standoff with the special counsel investigating his alleged role in an attempted insurrection, with tensions escalating ahead of his scheduled appearance on June 28.

Yoon’s legal team said on June 26 that he will not comply with the summons unless he is allowed to enter the special prosecutor’s office via the underground parking lot—citing security and dignity concerns. The special counsel, led by Min Jung-ki, has rejected the request, calling it an effective refusal to cooperate with the investigation.

“The place and time of the summons are already public, and we don’t understand what the former president means by insisting on a non-public appearance,” said Park Ji-young, deputy special counsel, in a press briefing. “No former president—whether Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, or Roh Moo-hyun—was granted underground entry.”

Yoon’s legal team formally submitted their request for basement access at 3:30 p.m. on June 26. In response, the special counsel suggested a second arrest warrant may be sought, hinting that Yoon’s defiance could be treated as obstruction under criminal procedure law.

Park noted that while the investigation requires extensive questioning and had initially requested a 9 a.m. appearance, they had accepted Yoon’s counterproposal to arrive at 10 a.m. due to health concerns.

Legal experts say the standoff could jeopardize the current non-custodial nature of the probe. Though an arrest warrant is possible, it remains uncertain whether a court would approve one, given the low risk of flight or evidence tampering.

“If both sides remain at an impasse, it could delay the investigation by days and disrupt the non-custodial process,” said one criminal law attorney. “While a detention request can’t be ruled out entirely, courts will likely hesitate unless there’s a clear risk of destroying evidence or fleeing—neither of which applies strongly to the former president.”

Separately, Yoon’s legal team filed a criminal complaint on the same day against eight individuals—four senior officials from the Presidential Security Service and four police officers—accusing them of violating the Presidential Records Management Act. The complaint centers on the alleged unauthorized submission of classified “Bihwa phone” (encrypted military phone) call records to police without proper declassification, which they claim constitutes a breach of military secrecy.