Yoon's Side "Reports Filed Against About 150 People Involved in Executing Arrest Warrants for Chief of Corruption Investigation Office, Deputy Commissioner of Police Agency, and Deputy Minister of National Defense"

The office of President Yoon Seok-yeol announced on the 5th that it will file complaints against about 150 people, including Oh Dong-woon, head of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit, Lee Ho-young, Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency (acting Commissioner), and Kim Sun-ho, Deputy Minister of National Defense (acting Minister of National Defense), who were involved in executing the arrest warrant on the 3rd.

On the 3rd, at the presidential residence premises in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (Gong-su-cheo) attempted to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, police forces and Gong-su-cheo investigators are coming down. Photo by Yonhap News

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon's legal team issued a statement declaring their intention to file complaints against about 150 individuals, including Chief Oh, prosecutors, investigators, and the National Police Agency's Special Investigation Unit (Special Unit), on charges such as obstruction of official duties, injury, special trespassing, and violation of the Military Bases and Military Facilities Protection Act. The legal team plans to submit the complaint to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 6th.

The legal team holds the position that Chief Oh, despite having no investigative command authority over the police on the 3rd, directed the police Special Unit to execute an unconstitutional and illegal warrant against President Yoon. During this process, about 150 members of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police Special Unit broke down and trespassed through the main gate, which is a facility within a military installation protection zone, and assaulted security office staff who were preventing the illegal execution of the warrant, causing some injuries, they claimed.

The legal team also stated that Deputy Commissioner Lee and Deputy Minister Kim will be reported for conspiring in the CIO's illegal execution of the warrant. This is because the head of the security office requested, according to the law, that Deputy Commissioner Lee and Deputy Minister Kim increase the deployment of security forces in the presidential residence area, but they refused. According to Article 15 of the Presidential Security Act, the head of the security office may request the dispatch of public officials or employees and necessary cooperation when deemed necessary for official duties.

Furthermore, the legal team claims that Deputy Commissioner Lee also refused the security cooperation request from Acting President Choi Sang-mok. Regarding Deputy Minister Kim, they stated, "The 55th Security Unit under the Ministry of National Defense should have strictly maintained the perimeter security of the presidential residence under the operational control of the security office, but they allowed the CIO and police Special Unit to break down the main gate and enter." According to the legal team, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Yongsan Police Station also blocked security officers from entering the presidential residence.

The legal team argued, "Refusing the legitimate cooperation request of the head of the security office, disobeying the instructions of the acting president, and allowing the breaking and entering of the main gate constitute dereliction of duty," and "The act of security officers blocking entry to the residence constitutes abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights."

Additionally, the legal team announced plans to file further complaints against the police Special Unit for illegally filming the presidential residence, a first-class national security facility, during the execution of the warrant, citing violations of the Military Bases and Military Facilities Protection Act. The legal team stated, "The Supreme Court precedent holds that the foremost standard for official duties is the 'legality of official execution.' Mobilizing organizational personnel without command authority based on an illegal and invalid warrant to carry out unlawful official duties, and failing to comply with or issuing contrary orders to legitimate work instructions based on laws and regulations, means those involved have lost legality."