Special counsel raids home of South Korean ex-President Yoon

By Chae Yun-hwan, SEOUL, July 11: A special counsel team on Friday raided the home of former President Yoon Suk Yeol as part of its investigation into alleged interference in an initial probe into the 2023 death of a Marine conscript.

The search took place as part of simultaneous raids at more than 10 locations in the widening probe, including the home of former National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong.

The investigation centres on allegations that Yoon and other high-ranking officials interfered in the military's probe into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was swept away by a swollen stream during a search for torrential rain victims in July 2023.

Special prosecutors seized a mobile phone during the three-hour search at Yoon's home in southern Seoul, Choi Ji-woo, a lawyer for the former president, told reporters, noting that former first lady Kim Keon Hee was at the home alone.

Yoon, who is a suspect on abuse of power charges, is currently detained at Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, just south of Seoul, after a court issued a warrant for his arrest early Thursday in a separate case over his failed martial law bid.

The team's investigation has focused on allegations that Yoon became enraged when he was briefed on the results of the military probe into Chae's death, which found a senior Marine commander responsible.

Yoon allegedly took issue with the results and is suspected of instructing officials to cancel a media briefing on the investigation, stopping military investigators from transferring the case to the police, and changing the probe results.

Assistant special counsel Choung Min-young said his team seeks to investigate the details of the presidential office meeting when Yoon allegedly vented his anger as well as alleged instructions made at the time.

Meanwhile, the team also raided the homes of former spy chief Cho, who attended the meeting in question, and Rep. Lim Jong-deuk of the People Power Party, former second deputy national security adviser, among other locations.

Former Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo also appeared for questioning at the team's office in southern Seoul, hours after the raids.

Kim, who was one of the participants of the meeting where Yoon allegedly burst into anger, has testified at the National Assembly that the meeting did not involve a briefing on Chae's death and that Yoon did not fly into a rage.

The special counsel team seeks to question Kim about the meeting and whether he was involved in overturning the results of the initial probe.

The move came after the team raided the defence ministry, the presidential National Security Office and other locations on Thursday.