South Korea: Police make another request for questioning to suspended Prez Yoon’s security team chief
Seoul: South Korea’s Police again requested two top officials of the presidential security office to appear for questioning for their alleged obstruction of official duties related to the state anti-corruption agency’s attempt to detain suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Park Chong-jun, chief of the Presidential Security Service (PSS), and Deputy Kim Seong-hoon were booked on suspicion of obstructing special official duties, as PSS officials, along with military members, blocked the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) from executing a warrant to detain Yoon on Friday over his short-lived martial law declaration on December 3, Yonhap news agency reported.
After a standoff for about six hours at the presidential residence in Seoul, the CIO halted the attempt to detain Yoon.
The joint investigation team requested the two officials to come under probe Saturday, but they refused to do so, saying they cannot leave their position “even for a moment” given the gravity of the situation in providing security for Yoon.
In response, the investigation team sent another request to Park to appear for questioning on Tuesday and Kim on Wednesday.
The CIO is expected to make another attempt to detain Yoon as early as Sunday, as it has until Monday to execute the detention warrant on charges of insurrection and abuse of power.
The agency once again called on acting President Choi Sang-mok to instruct the presidential security team to cooperate on its execution of the detention warrant.
The six opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party, demanded punishment for Park over his role in Friday’s standoff.
In a joint press conference at the National Assembly, the floor leaders of the six parties said Park should be immediately removed from his position and be arrested on charges of obstruction of official duties, concealment of an offender and abuse of power.
The parties also accused Park and the rest of the PSS of being accomplices to insurrection.
They charged that acting President Choi Sang-mok is also responsible for the standoff and that he must get the PSS to cooperate with the CIO.
The opposition parties called on the CIO to execute the arrest warrant “quickly,” adding, “There must never be another retreat.”