Ex-President Yoon to appear at special counsel's office Saturday

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk / Yonhap

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyers said Friday that he will appear at Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk's office at 10 a.m. Saturday to be questioned about charges related to the Dec. 3 martial law imposition, even if his request for private appearance is not accepted.

Earlier this week, Cho's team demanded that Yoon appear in public at its office in the Seoul High Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul at 9 a.m. Saturday to be questioned as a suspect after a court rejected its detention warrant request for him.

But Yoon's lawyers have requested that his appearance at the special counsel's office not be made public and be delayed about an hour to around 10 a.m. Specifically, they demanded that Yoon enter the office through its underground parking lot. Cho's office has rejected Yoon's request, saying it can be seen as preferential treatment.

"Even if there is no agreement regarding the method of appearance, there is no change in Yoon's decision to appear (at the special counsel's office) tomorrow," a lawyer for Yoon told Yonhap News Agency by phone. "We'll go there tomorrow and discuss it again on the site."