Police Fail to Secure CCTV Footage from Samcheong-dong Due to Security Office Disapproval

Review of Official Letter Requesting Preservation of CCTV Footage at Private Residence

The Special Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency, investigating the 12·3 Emergency Martial Law incident, failed to secure CCTV footage from the presidential safety residence (An-ga) due to the Presidential Security Service's refusal to grant entry permission.

On the 27th, around 2 p.m., police officers were dispatched to An-ga located in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, and the Yongsan Presidential Office to present a search warrant for the An-ga CCTV footage. However, the Presidential Security Service did not approve entry, resulting in a standoff lasting about three hours before the officers returned empty-handed.

Yonhap News

The Security Service reportedly refused the search citing official and military confidentiality. According to the Criminal Procedure Act, conducting a search in places classified as military or official secrets requires the approval of the person in charge.

The police intended to secure the CCTV footage to verify who entered and exited An-ga before and after the martial law declaration, and what instructions were received from President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Earlier, on the 3rd of this month, three hours before the martial law declaration, Police Commissioner General Jo Ji-ho and Seoul Police Commissioner Kim Bong-sik met President Yoon at An-ga and received documents containing instructions related to the martial law. On the day the martial law was lifted, the 4th, four individuals?Minister of Justice Park Seong-jae, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Kim Ju-hyun of the Presidential Office, Director Lee Wan-gyu of the Ministry of Government Legislation, and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min?held a meeting with President Yoon.

On the 11th, the police attempted searches at the Yongsan Presidential Office and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and on the 17th, at the Presidential Security Service servers within the Presidential Office building, but these attempts also failed due to the Security Service's refusal to approve. The police are currently considering sending an official letter to the Security Service requesting preservation of the An-ga CCTV data.