Seoul: Police announced plans on Monday to reapply for arrest warrants for two senior officials from the Presidential Security Service (PSS), who are accused of obstructing investigators’ efforts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the National Office of Investigation (NOI) stated that preparations have been finalized to detain acting PSS chief Kim Seong-hoon and Lee Kwang-woo, who is the chief of the PSS’s bodyguard division. These applications are set to be submitted to the prosecution later on Monday.
Kim and Lee face accusations of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant for Yoon in January. They are also alleged to have taken unjust personnel actions and instructed subordinates to delete records of phone conversations between Yoon and military commanders related to the December 3 martial law declaration.
The prosecution had previously rejected the police’s requests for arrest warrants for Kim on three occasions and Lee on two occasions. However, on March 6, a warrant review panel from the Seoul High Prosecutors Office sided with the police, agreeing that it was appropriate for the prosecution to request arrest warrants for the two officials.
The NOI official noted that the police have conducted a supplementary investigation to strengthen the justification for detaining Kim and Lee.