South Korea’s President’s Security Guards Miss a Summons

State crisis

South Korea’s President’s Security Guards Miss a Summons

Investigators in South Korea fail in their attempt to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol. His protectors also don’t want to leave the official residence. How could things continue now?

A day after the failed arrest of suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, the heads of his security service failed to respond to a police summons. Because of the tense situation in which the president needs protection, neither Park Chong Jun nor his deputy Kim Seong Hoon could leave their posts, the presidential security service said, according to the Yonhap news agency. The security service is in contact with the police to find another date for the questioning, it said.

Dozens of investigators tried for more than five and a half hours on Friday to arrest Yoon for questioning in the case of the brief declaration of martial law in early December. However, on the grounds of the presidential residence, a “wall” made up of around 200 members of the army and security services stood in the way of the authorities, Yonhap further reported.

In mid-December, parliament removed Yoon from power until further notice. The Constitutional Court is currently reviewing this decision. The current Finance Minister and Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang Mok is temporarily in charge of state affairs. The allegations against Yoon are abuse of power and sedition. Before the attempted arrest, he had ignored three summonses from the Office for Corruption Investigation. She finally successfully applied to a court for his arrest.

The court order is valid until Monday. The opposition demanded that this be carried out as quickly as possible. She also called for Park to be arrested on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of official duties. The security service again threatened the authorities with legal action for unauthorized entry.

As Yonhap reported, investigators may try to arrest Yoon again this weekend. If they succeed, they would have 48 hours to question Yoon and decide whether to release him or apply for an arrest warrant against him. In Seoul, numerous Yoon supporters have been demonstrating in front of the presidential residence for days. Opponents of the suspended president also protested in thousands.