President Yoon Seok-yeol Criticized for Refusal to Comply with Warrant Execution
Jeong Cheong-rae, head of the National Assembly's impeachment prosecution team, is making a statement ahead of attending the first preparatory hearing for President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment case at the Seoul Constitutional Court's small trial chamber on the 27th. From left, Choi Ki-sang, member of the Democratic Party of Korea, Jeong Cheong-rae, and Kim Yi-su, former Constitutional Court justice and co-representative of the legal counsel team. Photo by Jo Yong-jun
Jeong Cheong-rae, chairman of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee and head of the National Assembly impeachment prosecution team in the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol, stated that "the entire nation is watching the obstruction of law enforcement live on TV" in response to President Yoon's refusal to comply with the arrest warrant.
On the afternoon of the 3rd, Jeong visited the Constitutional Court to attend the preparatory hearing for President Yoon's impeachment trial and said, "On December 3rd, the 'Night of Rebellion' was witnessed by the entire nation through live TV broadcast, and today, a month later, the entire nation is watching live on TV as Yoon Seok-yeol, the ringleader of the rebellion suspect, obstructs the execution of the court's warrant." He continued, "That is why I say the rebellion is not over yet; it is ongoing."
Jeong added, "I deeply feel that promptly arresting and detaining the rebellion suspect Yoon Seok-yeol and swiftly removing him through a trial at the Constitutional Court is necessary for national stability," and said, "The prosecution team and legal representatives will do their best to ensure a swift ruling at the Constitutional Court as soon as possible."
On the morning of the 3rd, in order to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, officials from the Corruption Investigation Office entered the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul. Police are standing guard in layers in front of the main gate of the residence, and Corruption Investigation Office vehicles are parked ahead. Photo by Heo Young-han
The joint task force, composed of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Gongsoocheo) and the police, attempted to execute the arrest warrant for President Yoon on the morning of the same day but was blocked by the Presidential Security Service and others from entering the Hannam-dong residence building, resulting in a standoff lasting over five hours before suspending the warrant execution.
The joint task force stated, "Due to the continued standoff, we judged that it was practically impossible to execute the arrest warrant, and concerned about the safety of personnel on site due to obstruction, we suspended the warrant execution around 1:30 p.m." They added, "Future measures will be reviewed and decided," and expressed "deep regret over the suspect's attitude of not complying with legal procedures." The arrest warrant for President Yoon is valid until the 6th of this month.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
