Joint Security Office, Delivery of President Yoon's Attendance Request to Hannam Residence Also Fails...Security Office Refuses Receipt

Police Send Special Registered Mail
Attendance Request Labels 'Naeran Udumeri'

The Joint Investigation Headquarters (Joint HQ), investigating the '12·3 Emergency Martial Law' incident, attempted to deliver a summons for President Yoon Seok-yeol to the Presidential Office and the Hannam-dong residence on the 16th, but the attempt failed.

President Yoon Suk-yeol. Photo by Yonhap News

The Joint HQ stated that “the summons sent to President Yoon was not delivered on site. The Presidential Security Service refused to accept it, claiming it was not within their jurisdiction,” adding, “the police also sent it by mail simultaneously, so there is no issue.”

The Joint HQ requested President Yoon to appear at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) at 10 a.m. on the 18th. The summons specified charges against President Yoon, including leading a rebellion and obstruction of the exercise of official duties through abuse of power.

The Special Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters (Special Unit) transferred part of the ongoing investigation into the emergency martial law case to the CIO at 9 a.m. on the same day. This concerns cases related to five individuals: President Yoon, former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Army Chief of Staff Park An-soo, and Commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command Yeo In-hyung. The Special Unit will continue investigating the remaining cases.

This transfer decision was made by the National Investigation Headquarters in response to the CIO’s request for a swift and efficient investigation into the emergency martial law case. It is also analyzed as a measure considering that if President Yoon repeatedly refuses to appear without valid reasons, his detention can be enforced through an arrest warrant.

The Joint HQ is composed of the CIO, the National Investigation Headquarters, and the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters. The Joint HQ was launched on the 11th to maximize the strengths of each agency: the CIO’s legal expertise and authority to request warrants, the National Investigation Headquarters’ investigative experience and capabilities, and the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters’ military expertise.

The police have completed investigations of seven out of eleven State Council members who attended the pre-emergency martial law State Council meeting. A police official stated, “We plan to continue joint investigations while continuously providing materials secured through the emergency martial law investigation to the CIO.”