The police announced on the 20th that they had additionally registered President Yoon Suk-yeol for the charge of obstructing the performance of public duties.
A spokesperson for the police's National Investigation Headquarters emergency martial law special investigation team noted during a regular briefing that this was the case. After the execution of the first arrest warrant against President Yoon on the 3rd was obstructed by the Presidential Security Service, the Justice Innovation Party filed a complaint against President Yoon on the same charges.
The police believe that there were instructions from President Yoon during the process where the Security Service obstructed the execution of the arrest warrant against him on the 3rd and 15th. In this regard, opposition parties have claimed that President Yoon instructed Security Service executives to 'carry a knife if firearms were not possible, and to prevent the arrest at all costs.' However, President Yoon's side called this 'false information.'
A police official said that the reason for withholding the arrest of Kim Seong-hoon, Vice Administrator of the Security Service, during the second arrest warrant execution against President Yoon was due to a strong request from President Yoon's side at the scene, and that discussions were held and a decision made within that context.
Vice Administrator Kim was reportedly a member of the 'hardline faction,' insisting that an arrest warrant should be executed using physical force. They did not comply with the police's requests for attendance on three occasions, citing 'the security of President Yoon,' but appeared to the police after President Yoon was arrested on the 15th. They were arrested by the police immediately after attending, but the prosecution rejected the police's request for an arrest warrant. This was due to a lack of concerns about escape, destruction of evidence, or recidivism. A police official stated, 'The two did not bring their mobile phones on the day of questioning, so voluntary submission did not take place.'
However, the mobile phone submitted by former Security Service chief Park Jong-jun, who was categorized as a moderate and attended the police earlier, is undergoing digital forensics.
The Security Service has not yet responded to the police's request for the identities of 26 employees; some of these 26 have reportedly been investigated as witnesses. A police official commented on why President Yoon, who was arrested on the 15th, did not stand on the photo line of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) by saying, 'I have not received a clear explanation of the situation,' adding, 'The entity executing the warrant is the CIO, and the CIO is taking a leading role after the arrest.'
Investigations regarding foreign exchange-related allegations against President Yoon are currently ongoing. The schedule for the second attendance of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is currently being coordinated.
Regarding allegations that former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min directed power cuts to major media outlets, it was stated that 'the CIO is the main agency investigating this matter.'
The police special team announced that they have registered 52 individuals in connection with the Dec. 3 martial law incident and have sent five to the prosecution. Among them, 10 were referred to the CIO, one to the military prosecution, and the remainder are under investigation.
The special team, which had reached approximately 120 personnel, has reportedly been reduced to only one team following the return of two teams that handled matters related to the Korean National Police Agency's entrance restrictions.