Police and Security Office Tension Over Entry Procedures
The Presidential Security Service has been in a standoff for four hours on the 11th over the police's arrival at the Yongsan Presidential Office and the method of search and seizure while investigating the 'emergency martial law incident.' The situation has not progressed as the Security Service and the investigation team have failed to reach an agreement on entering the Presidential Office.
The Presidential Security Service and the investigation team have been negotiating for nearly five hours in a meeting room on the second floor of the reception area regarding the method of search and seizure. It is reported that both sides are currently discussing whether to receive the materials in the form of voluntary submission.
According to the Presidential Office, at around 11:45 a.m. that day, the Special Investigation Team for Emergency Martial Law under the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters arrived at the Ministry of National Defense's West Gate reception area to conduct a search and seizure and are negotiating entry procedures.
Around noon, the Presidential Security Service came out, and the investigation team presented a search warrant to the Security Service. The investigation team stated that they intend to send 18 investigators to the Presidential Office to secure records related to the Cabinet meeting held during the martial law period.
When reporters gathered following news of the search and seizure at the Presidential Office that afternoon, the Presidential Office announced, "Photography and video recording are not allowed within the Presidential Office premises," adding, "The West Gate reception area is also considered part of the premises, so we ask for your cooperation."
The search warrant specified the target as "President Yoon Seok-yeol," and the police stated that the number of personnel conducting the search and seizure is 18. It is reported that President Yoon Seok-yeol is currently not staying in the Presidential Office building.
A representative of the Special Investigation Team explained, "The charge is basically treason," adding, "Four locations are subject to search and seizure: the President's office, the Cabinet meeting venue, the Security Service, and others." It was confirmed that the search warrant was issued particularly to verify the individuals who attended the Cabinet meeting during the martial law period.
A Presidential Office official said, "We were not informed in advance about the investigation team's announcement of the search and seizure at the Presidential Office," and added, "Currently, the Presidential Security Service and the investigation team are discussing the method of search and seizure."
On the 11th, while the Special Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency is conducting a search and seizure at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, vehicles are exiting through the main gate of the Presidential Office. Wreaths supporting President Yoon Seok-yeol are lined up along the entrance wall, and a delivery worker is placing a wreath. Photo by Heo Young-han
Reporters are waiting for results in the meeting place set up on the second floor of the Ministry of National Defense's West Gate reception area, but the standoff has continued for over four hours as no agreement has been reached.
As the wait lengthened in the afternoon, the investigation team requested, "We have waited too long. Please call the person in charge," while the Security Service repeatedly said, "We have not heard anything yet," creating tension. In response to the investigation team's repeated requests to call the person in charge, Yoon Jae-soon, the Chief Secretary for General Affairs of the Presidential Office, briefly visited the West Gate reception area to conduct negotiations, but it is reported that there was no significant progress.
Amid ongoing confusion, reports about a search and seizure at the Joint Chiefs of Staff surfaced after 3 p.m., but the National Police Agency soon corrected the misunderstanding. The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "There is no search and seizure of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," and added, "We are negotiating a search and seizure related to facilities and equipment used by the former Martial Law Command."
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Command and Control Room is located in a building jointly used by the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, adjacent to the former Ministry of National Defense building, which is the Presidential Office. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Command and Control Room has a 'martial law situation room' permanently installed.
As the standoff prolonged, the National Police Agency press corps announced in the afternoon, "The execution time for the search and seizure is until sunset today," adding, "Today's sunset time is 5:14 p.m."
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