The special investigation task force of the prosecution conducted a search and seizure on the 19th against the National Investigation Headquarters of the police, Yeongdeungpo Police Station, and the Ministry of National Defense investigation headquarters.
The special investigation task force of the prosecution announced that it is conducting a search and seizure against organizations such as the National Investigation Headquarters on charges related to the activities of the 'arrest squad' during martial law.
The National Investigation Headquarters is under suspicion of supporting detectives from the violent crime division to the 'arrest squad' at the request of the Defense Security Command after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on the 3rd. The arrest squad is known to have been tasked with arresting key political figures.
The National Investigation Headquarters acknowledged the request from the Defense Security Command and the provision of a list around 11:32 p.m. on the day martial law was declared. It was reported that the Defense Security Command contacted a staff member of the National Investigation Headquarters, stated that the situation in Yeouido was confusing, and requested a list of police officers to guide. A list of 10 detectives from the violent crime team was provided. However, they did not clarify whether any personnel were actually dispatched to the field and maintained that they never heard any instructions to arrest lawmakers.
The prosecution suspects a connection to the activities of the arrest squad after detecting that 10 detectives from the violent crime teams of police stations were actually dispatched to stand by in front of the National Assembly at the request of the Defense Security Command. In connection with this, testimony from a police middle manager who heard the word 'arrest' mentioned when requesting personnel support from the National Investigation Headquarters during martial law was also obtained.
The Ministry of National Defense investigation headquarters is also under suspicion of having sent 10 investigators at the request of the joint investigation headquarters of the martial law command during martial law. Regarding this, the Ministry of National Defense investigation headquarters stated that they also received a request from the Defense Security Command to dispatch 100 investigators but did not comply, and the 10 investigators were returned upon the resolution to lift martial law.
The National Investigation Headquarters had formed a joint investigation headquarters with the Ministry of National Defense investigation headquarters and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials to investigate the Dec. 3 martial law rebellion case. During this process, they competed with the special investigation task force of the prosecution for control over the investigation rights for the rebellion case.
The previous day, the prosecution handed over President Yoon Suk Yeol's case to the joint investigation headquarters at the request of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, seemingly ending the conflict. However, the search and seizure conducted today suggests that the tension over investigation rights between the investigative agencies is likely to continue.