"If Guns Are Not Allowed, Carry a Knife to Defend"… Yoon Suspected of Ordering Armed Protection to Security Service

Yoon Geon-young Reveals Tip-off on 'Carrying Weapons' Order
President Yoon Allegedly Gave Instructions During Meals with PSS on the 11th and 12th
"Clearly Illegal... The PSS Is Not a Private Army for Any Individual"

Yoon Geon-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, revealed that he received a tip-off that President Yoon Seok-yeol instructed the Presidential Security Service (PSS) staff to 'carry weapons.' According to Rep. Yoon, on the 12th, President Yoon had a meal with PSS executives and said, "Even if firearms are not allowed, carry knives to unconditionally stop the police officers who approach to arrest me."

On the 13th, Rep. Yoon held a press conference at the National Assembly and introduced the related tip-off, saying, "President Yoon must answer whether he instructed the security officers to use weapons." He stated, "President Yoon reportedly talked about the use of weapons during a lunch with six PSS executives, including Kim Seong-hoon, Deputy Director of the PSS, Lee Kwang-woo, Head of the Security Headquarters, and Kim Shin, Head of the Family Division." He also cited reports that President Yoon mentioned the use of force during a lunch on the 11th, emphasizing, "This shows that the illegal orders were not a one-time occurrence."

On the 3rd, officials from the Corruption Investigation Office who attempted to execute an arrest warrant at President Yoon Seok-yeol's residence halted the operation and withdrew after a standoff lasting over five hours with the Presidential Security Service. Vehicles carrying the Corruption Investigation Office staff are passing by near the residence, alongside a gathering of President Yoon's supporters. Photo by Heo Young-han

Rep. Yoon pointed out, "Under the current circumstances, the use of firearms, knives, and other weapons by security officers is clearly illegal under the Security Service Act," adding, "Many security officers are not private soldiers of a specific individual." On the 3rd, officials from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) who attempted to execute an arrest warrant at the president’s residence ended up halting the execution and withdrawing after a standoff with the PSS lasting over five hours. During this process, it is known that the PSS confronted the warrant execution while armed with firearms, escalating inter-agency conflict. Furthermore, after the resignation of former PSS Chief Park Jong-jun, the appointment of the 'hardliner' Kim Seong-hoon as acting deputy director, who is said to be willing to engage in armed clashes, has reportedly caused internal disagreements within the PSS.

After the press conference, Rep. Yoon met with reporters and said, "One could say that the president might have spoken emotionally once, but repeatedly mentioning the use of weapons is intimidation against the public," adding, "I am worried about how the PSS leadership will push the security officers under President Yoon’s irrational orders." He also stated that the information he disclosed that day was received from inside the PSS, ensuring a certain level of credibility.