Seok Dong-hyun "President Yoon Decides to Appear in Person"... Corruption Investigation Office "No Consideration for Voluntary Appearance"

On the 15th, President Yoon Seok-yeol's lawyer Seok Dong-hyun stated, "President Yoon has inevitably decided to appear in person at the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HCIO) today," adding, "Around the time of departure to the HCIO, the President plans to directly address the public in his own voice."

On the 15th, when the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency and the Police Emergency Martial Law Special Investigation Unit proceeded to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, police officers were passing through the main gate of the presidential residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Lawyer Seok wrote this post on his Facebook around 10 a.m. on the same day when the HCIO's arrest warrant execution was underway.

Seok said, "From early morning, the HCIO and police pushed into the presidential residence grounds intending to carry out mass arrests, and there were reports of citizens being injured outside the residence," adding, "Since the Security Office staff are firmly determined to prevent the execution of the arrest warrant against the President, a physical clash between the Security Office and the police is highly likely, which could lead to serious unfortunate incidents. As the President, he must prevent such incidents. Although he clearly knows that this investigation and arrest attempt by the HCIO is illegal, he has made an unavoidable decision with this in mind."

He continued, "If the HCIO and police withdraw from the residence first, the President plans to depart for the HCIO as soon as the security arrangements are ready," adding, "The time of appearance will take another hour or two for situation management and preparation, and I think he will arrive at the HCIO within this morning."

However, some parts of Lawyer Seok's post differ somewhat from the HCIO's announced situation regarding the execution of the arrest warrant. Earlier, around 9 a.m. on the same day, an HCIO official told reporters, "Unlike the first execution, there were no personnel actively blocking the execution or Security Office staff present," explaining, "There was virtually no physical confrontation today."

Regarding the possibility of voluntary appearance, the official said, "At this point, voluntary appearance is not being considered; the goal is to execute the warrant."