Seoul: The former head of South Korea’s Presidential Security Service (PSS) underwent police questioning for the third time on Monday over allegations he blocked investigators’ attempt to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid.
Park Chong-jun, who stepped down as chief of the PSS last Friday, has been booked on charges of obstructing official duties as presidential security officials have blocked the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) from executing a warrant to detain Yoon.
Park told reporters that he will cooperate with the investigation ‘with sincerity.’
Meanwhile, a senior official at the PSS failed to appear for police questioning on Monday, defying a summons for the third time.
The National Office of Investigation’s special probe team requested Lee Kwang-woo, known as one of the loyalists for Yoon, to appear before the police for questioning by 10 a.m., but Lee failed to show up.
Police plan to file an arrest warrant for Lee, citing his flight risk, Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier on January 12, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol did not attend the first formal hearing in his impeachment trial that week due to concerns for his safety.
Yun Gap-geun, Yoon’s Defence attorney, made the announcement as the Constitutional Court held the first oral arguments in Yoon’s impeachment trial on Tuesday, while investigators sought to detain the impeached President for questioning in a separate case related to his short-lived martial law imposition.
“As attempts to unlawfully execute an illegal and invalid arrest warrant were underway, there were concerns of personal safety and mishap,” Yun said. “In order for the President to appear for the trial, the issue of personal safety and security must be resolved.”
Yun stated that the impeached President would attend his trial if such issues were resolved.
The Constitutional Court had earlier said it would start oral arguments for the trial on Tuesday, with a total of five hearing sessions scheduled until February 4.
Meanwhile, South Korea had been thrust into a period of political uncertainty following Yoon’s short-lived martial law declaration on December 3, 2024, and his subsequent impeachment on December 14, 2024.
–IANS
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