It has been reported that President Donald Trump expressed a desire to speak with former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is currently detained at Seoul Detention Center.

Yoo Jin-cheol, former chairman of the Federation of Korean Associations in the Americas, stated on the 'NNP Special Invitation' program of News & Post on Tuesday (the 5th), "President Trump says he wants to speak with President Yoon Suk-yeol."

After the broadcast, Yoo informed News & Post that he heard from a White House official last Thursday that President Trump had said, "I'd like to talk to him." This came just one day after news broke of the trade agreement reached between President Trump and the South Korean negotiation team. On that day, the White House released a group photo of President Trump and the Korean negotiating team.

Yoo was among the candidates on the shortlist for the US Ambassador to Korea position at the end of last year.

During the broadcast, Yoo recalled that former President Ronald Reagan, in early February 1981, met with former President Chun Doo-hwan and instructed him to release Kim Dae-jung, who had been sentenced to death at the time, and send him to the United States.

Yoo then conveyed his own thoughts, stating, "If Lee Jae-myung were to come to the U.S., President Trump might tell President Lee Jae-myung, 'Send President Yoon Suk-yeol to the U.S.'"

He added, "President Trump would probably say, 'Special prosecutor, don't be ridiculous. Stop everything and send President Yoon to the U.S. Go back.'"

While it remains to be seen whether President Trump will demand the release and asylum of a prominent South Korean political figure, similar to what former President Reagan did, his expressed desire to speak with former President Yoon is raising expectations that President Trump may be willing to directly intervene in efforts to protect former President Yoon.

Lawyer Shin Pyong stated that former President Yoon is being held in a cramped solitary confinement cell of only about 1.7 to 1.8 pyeong (approximately 6 square meters), with only a flimsy cardboard stand in the room, let alone a desk or a chair.

According to lawyer Kim Gye-ri, former President Yoon was diagnosed with diabetes due to high hemoglobin A1c levels and is taking antiplatelet medication after receiving diagnoses related to carotid artery stenosis and cardiovascular disease.

Lawyer Kim explained that former President Yoon "was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy with macular edema in June 2023 and received 13 ophthalmological injections. Approximately three months have passed since his last treatment, and he received a doctor's certificate and opinion stating that there is a risk of blindness due to diabetic retinopathy if he does not undergo treatment."

NNP=Chief Reporter Sung Ku Hong, USA info@newsandpost.com

[Statement from the Legal Team of Former President Yoon Suk-yeol] 

We express deep regret regarding the special prosecutor's claims of a former president 'resisting arrest by taking off his clothes,' with specific mention of his underwear, and the Minister of Justice's repeated assertions of these claims in the National Assembly without proper verification of facts. We state that 'legal responsibility will be pursued for any recurrence.' 

Around 9 AM on the 2nd, former President Yoon Suk-yeol was waiting after changing into prison attire for a meeting with his lawyer. However, the special prosecution team arrived and requested his cooperation for arrest for investigation. Former President Yoon stated that he would comply after consulting with his lawyer, who was waiting. The special prosecution team, however, refused to consult with the lawyer, citing the absence of a submitted power of attorney. Subsequently, the special prosecution team retreated from former President Yoon's reception room to conduct their own discussions.

Later, former President Yoon, believing that lawyer consultations would not be possible that morning and feeling very hot, briefly removed his prison attire. However, after a considerable time had passed, the special prosecution team returned and requested his cooperation for arrest. Taken aback in his underwear, former President Yoon covered himself with a blanket and requested to consult with his lawyer, who was waiting in the consultation room. The special prosecution team vehemently avoided meeting with the lawyer, ignored former President Yoon's request, and arbitrarily filmed the embarrassing situation without legal grounds.

The special prosecution team announced as if former President Yoon had resisted arrest by taking off his prison attire and exposing his underwear, but this is not true. If the Minister of Justice had verified the facts with the guards present, they would have known that the special prosecution team's announcement was incorrect, yet they endorsed the special prosecutor's statement and participated in humiliating the former president. 

Furthermore, the right to consult with a lawyer is independent of the submission of a power of attorney and includes consultations with individuals intending to become lawyers. The assistance of counsel also includes the assistance of individuals intending to become lawyers. The special prosecution team and Seoul Detention Center violated the right to consult with a lawyer under the pretext of executing the arrest, which court precedent classifies as an abuse of power arrest. 

Therefore, we express strong regret towards the special prosecution team for violating the right to consult with a lawyer, attempting an abuse of power arrest, and arbitrarily filming the detainee against the detainee's will without adhering to due process, and towards the special prosecution team and the Minister of Justice for disseminating false information. 

We also inform Seoul Detention Center that if they participate in similar acts of abuse of power and illegal arrest in the future, legal responsibility will be pursued against all involved individuals. 

August 4, 2025.

Legal Team of Former President Yoon Suk-yeol