Odongun Public Corruption Investigation Office Chief: "I Will Consider Arresting President Yoon Seok-yeol"

"Will Collaborate with Investigative Agencies"

Odongwoon, the head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, is speaking at the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held on the 9th at the National Assembly to review and approve the request for a permanent special prosecutor investigation to determine the charges of insurrection against President Yoon Seok-yeol and others related to the emergency martial law situation. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (PCA) announced that it is considering the arrest of President Yoon Seok-yeol in connection with the December 3 emergency martial law incident.

On the 11th, during an urgent inquiry at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Oh Dong-woon, head of the PCA, responded to Jeong Cheong-rae, a committee member from the Democratic Party, who asked, "Do you have the intention to arrest President Yoon immediately?" by saying, "We are diligently investigating and will also consider the possibility of arrest."

When Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Seong-yoon asked, "Are you planning to arrest President Yoon to show your determination?" Oh replied, "If our resources are insufficient, we will collaborate with related investigative agencies to thoroughly investigate such matters."

He added, "We have sufficient determination," emphasizing again, "There are investigative procedures and related tasks, so we are carrying them out."

On the 9th, during a session of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Oh also stated that "all PCA investigators have the determination to diligently investigate and, as a principle, conduct detention investigations against the ringleader and participants of the crime of rebellion," referring to President Yoon.

Meanwhile, following the issuance of an arrest warrant for former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun the previous day, there is an assessment that the prosecution has taken the lead in the investigation. Nam Cheon-gyu, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, stated in the warrant issuance reason that "it is judged to be within the scope of crimes that prosecutors can initiate investigations for."