Seoul: Chief of security for South Korean Presidency, Park Chong-jun, said Sunday that he could not cooperate with the attempts to execute the arrest warrant against President, Yoon Suk Yeol, who was suspended from his duties as part of an accountability process that could lead to his impeachment, following his imposition of martial law on Dec.3, 2024.
According to Qatar News Agency, Park Chong-jun stated, “Please refrain from insulting remarks that the presidential security service has been reduced to a private army,” emphasizing that the service has historically provided security to all presidents for 60 years, irrespective of their political affiliations.
The statement from Park came in response to a decision by a Seoul court that rejected a complaint from Yoon’s lawyers, which argued that the arrest warrant was illegal and invalid. Despite this, investigators in South Korea suspended their efforts to execute the warrant after a five-hour standoff with the presidential security service.
Yoon Suk Yeol is the first sitting president in South Korean history to face an attempted arrest, following his controversial decision to impose martial law on December 3, a measure that was quickly rescinded but nonetheless sparked significant political upheaval in the nation. South Korea, recognized as one of Asia’s largest economies and a crucial ally of the United States, finds itself in a challenging political landscape as these events unfold.