South Korean presidential guard commander refuses to appear before police

Two senior officials of South Korea's Presidential Security Service (PSS) refused police questioning requests on January 4, just a day after the state anti-corruption agency called off its efforts to arrest President Yoon Suk-yeol.

According to The Korea Times citing a statement sent to the media, the PSS said that both the agency's leader and deputy leader, Park Chong-jun and Kim Seong-hoon, cannot leave their positions "even for a short time", citing the serious security situation for President Yoon.

PSS said they are working with police to reschedule the interrogation.

Unable to get past South Korean presidential security team, investigators stop arrest warrant

Previously, the Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO) on January 3 sought to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection with the imposition of martial law in December 2024. However, the CIO stopped this effort after a tense confrontation with PSS officials and soldiers for about 6 hours.

Protesters clash with police in Seoul, South Korea, on January 3, 2025.

According to Yonhap, about 200 security personnel formed a "human wall" blocking the entrance to the presidential residence and forced the investigators to leave without being able to execute the arrest warrant. The PSS later protested, vowing to take legal action against what it called the investigators' "illegal intrusion."

The CIO is expected to make another attempt to arrest President Yoon as early as January 5 on charges of rebellion and abuse of power. The deadline for Yoon's arrest is January 6. The CIO also once again called on Acting President Choi Sang-mok to direct the presidential security team to cooperate in executing the arrest warrant.

The political crisis in South Korea continues to escalate after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly in late 2024. The latest developments reflect the tense confrontation between law enforcement agencies and presidential security forces, raising many controversies about the rule of law as well as far-reaching impacts on the political situation of South Korea during this tumultuous period.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chi-huy-canh-ve-tong-thong-han-quoc-tu-choi-trinh-dien-cua-canh-sat-185250104165700316.htm