President Yoon Suk Yeol / Courtesy of the presidential office

President Yoon Suk Yeol failed to appear before a joint investigation team for questioning Wednesday, defying its summons for the second time over his short-lived imposition of martial law.

Yoon did not appear at the office of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, as requested by 10:00 a.m. on Christmas Day as part of a joint investigation into his botched declaration of martial law on Dec. 3.

Later in the day, the CIO told reporters it had not received any contact from Yoon's side as of 6 p.m. and confirmed he has failed to comply with the second summons request.

Yoon has not yet submitted a notice of attorney appointment either, it added.

Yoon, who faces charges of abuse of power and being an insurrection ringleader, has been identified as a suspect in the joint investigation of the CIO, the police and the defense ministry's investigation unit.

He did not comply with the CIO's first summons last Wednesday.

The team is expected to decide as early as Thursday on further possible measures, such as sending a summons for the third time or seeking an arrest warrant.

On Tuesday, Seok Dong-hyeon, Yoon's lawyer, said Yoon places a priority on the Constitutional Court proceedings on his impeachment and that he plans to issue a statement on his position on the trial after Christmas Day.

The fate of Yoon's presidency has been handed to the Constitutional Court after the National Assembly impeached him on Dec. 14. The court will hold its first pretrial hearing on Yoon's impeachment Friday.

The CIO is expected to take its next steps by taking into account this week's hearing, as well as Yoon's planned statement.

A CIO official, however, said the impeachment trial would not have a "decisive" impact on the anti-corruption body's next steps, noting it would merely be a factor to be considered.

Regarding the possibility of seeking an arrest warrant for Yoon, the official said it would be a "far distant" step, considering the circumstances.

"An arrest warrant seems like something far distant. There are many things to be considered," the official said, clarifying that nothing has so far been decided. (Yonhap)