The Joint Investigation Headquarters (Joint Headquarters) investigating the '12·3 Emergency Martial Law Incident' conducted a search and seizure at the Presidential Office on the 17th.
The target of this search and seizure is the Presidential Security Service located within the Presidential Office building. It is known that the Security Service's servers contain communication records from secure phones, including those of Police Chief Jo Ji-ho. On the day of the martial law, Chief Jo made six calls to President Yoon Seok-yeol using a secure phone.
The secure phones are issued and managed by the Security Service. These phones are secure mobile devices equipped with anti-tapping and call recording prevention programs, and the related server data is a key piece of evidence in the investigation.
At around 11:40 a.m. on the same day, the Joint Headquarters sent investigators to complete entry procedures at the Civil Affairs Office of the Yongsan Presidential Office building. However, it is uncertain whether the Security Service will allow the Joint Headquarters to enter the building.
On the 11th, the Joint Headquarters attempted to conduct a search and seizure at the Yongsan Presidential Office and the Joint Chiefs of Staff but was denied entry by the Security Service citing official and military secrets. At that time, only some materials were voluntarily submitted. The Joint Headquarters is also conducting a search and seizure at Chief Jo's official residence.
The Joint Headquarters is an investigative cooperation body composed of the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), and the Ministry of National Defense's Investigation Headquarters.
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