Park Jong-joon, head of South Korea's presidential security service, appeared before police on Friday following allegations of obstructing the execution of a warrant to arrest President Yoon Suk-yeol. CCTV footage captured Park arriving at approximately 10:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) at the National Office of Investigation (NOI) as part of the questioning.
During a press briefing, Park emphasized the importance of avoiding physical conflict and bloodshed in government operations, addressing public concerns over potential confrontations between agencies. He argued that investigations should take into account President Yoon's current status, deeming the execution of the arrest warrant as improper.
Park is facing charges related to obstructing the execution of special public affairs after he failed to appear for questioning on January 4 and 7, despite receiving summonses from the police earlier in the week.
Earlier attempts to arrest President Yoon at the presidential residence on January 3 were thwarted by the presidential security service, leading to the issuance of a second warrant by a Seoul court on Tuesday. This second warrant is expected to have a longer validity period than the initial one, which was only valid for a week.
The impeachment motion against Yoon was passed by the National Assembly on December 14 last year and has been submitted to the constitutional court for deliberation over a period of up to 180 days, during which his presidential powers are suspended. Yoon, who has been identified by investigative agencies as a suspected ringleader in an insurrection charge, had declared martial law on December 3, only for it to be revoked by the National Assembly hours later.
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S. Korea's presidential security chief appears for questioning
cgtn.com