A police attempt to search the presidential office to investigate the 'obstruction of arrest' allegations against former President Yoon Seok-yeol has been thwarted after over 10 hours of standoff. This was due to the Presidential Security Service not granting permission for the execution of the search warrant.
The police's Special Investigation Unit for Emergency Martial Law stated through a press release around 8:40 p.m. on the 16th that they had received a notice of refusal for the execution of the search warrant from the presidential office and the security service.
They added that the security service has decided to submit materials, including data from the secure phone server, in an ad hoc manner as much as possible, and that they will continue discussions about the ad hoc submission method and procedures.
The security service cited Articles 110 and 111 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which stipulate that 'places and items requiring military or official secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the responsible person or office,' as the basis for their refusal of this execution.
Earlier, the police presented a search warrant to the security personnel at the entrance of the presidential office and the Hannam-dong official residence around 10:13 a.m. that day and attempted to conduct a search. However, since the presidential office and the security service did not grant permission for the execution, they ultimately withdrew after 10 and a half hours.
The targets of the search included the secure phone server of the security service within the presidential office, documents in the security service office located in the official residence complex, and documents in the residence of the head of the security service. The police planned to secure materials to prove that former President Yoon attempted to obstruct the first arrest attempt by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police on January 3.
The police also aimed to secure CCTV footage from the presidential office to clarify allegations against former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min regarding his orders to cut off media outlets. However, they ultimately failed.