Seoul: South Korea's presidential office has initiated the process to investigate former President Yoon Suk Yeol over allegations of martial law attempts and corruption involving his wife. On Thursday, the office called on political parties to submit nominations for special counsels to lead the investigations, as reported by Yonhap News.

According to Anadolu Agency, this move comes after the National Assembly's approval of three special prosecution bills targeting Yoon and former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Newly elected President Lee Jae-myung is obliged to appoint these special counsels within three days of receiving recommendations from the parties. Once appointed, the counsels will have 20 days to prepare for the investigations, with full probes expected to commence early next month.

The Ruling Democratic Party has already proposed names of three prosecutors for the investigative roles. The inquiries are expected to involve nearly 600 personnel, including 120 prosecutors, and could be extended for a duration of up to 170 days.

Yoon, who was ousted from office following the Constitutional Court's approval of his impeachment in March, faces several accusations. Among these are allegations of ordering the Presidential Security Service to block the execution of a detention warrant during his attempted martial law declaration in January. He is also accused of interfering in the investigation into the July 2023 death of Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun, who drowned during flood rescue efforts amid reports that life vests were not distributed during the mission.

Despite the serious nature of these charges, Yoon denies all allegations. He notably failed to appear for police questioning on Thursday, ignoring a second summons related to the martial law case.