Park Chung-kwon Entered the Official Residence, "It Seems Some Lawmakers Were Assaulted"

"Claim: Over 1,000 CIO and Police Entered"
"Emphasis on 'Unprecedented Lawless Situation in Constitutional History'"

During the execution of the second arrest warrant against President Yoon Suk-yeol, Park Chung-kwon, a member of the People Power Party who entered the presidential residence, reported that "an unprecedented lawless situation in constitutional history is unfolding (at the presidential residence)."

On the 15th, Park conveyed the situation of the arrest warrant execution through an interview on Facebook and a YouTube channel, saying, "An incalculable amount of public authority was deployed to an unbelievable extent." He claimed that more than 1,000 personnel from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police entered, adding, "It seems some police forces entered through the back gate next to the normal entrance, and the Presidential Security Service did not defend that side."

During the execution of the second arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol, Park Chung-kwon, a member of the People Power Party who entered the presidential residence, reported that "an unprecedented lawless situation in constitutional history is occurring (at the presidential residence)." Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Park continued, "The second arrest warrant did not even include the provisions of Articles 110 and 111 of the Criminal Procedure Act (which state that places or objects requiring military or official secrecy cannot be searched or seized without the consent of the person in charge or the office), yet the CIO and police forcibly entered a national secret facility to try to pull the president out." He further criticized, "The political illegal execution of the warrant by the CIO and police, subcontracted by the Democratic Party, has seriously damaged the constitutional order and judicial system of the Republic of Korea," and warned, "History will remember today as a day of disgrace for Korea."

Earlier, Park revealed that among the People Power Party members gathered in front of the presidential residence, four?including himself, Yoon Sang-hyun, Lee Sang-hwi, and Kwon Young-jin?entered the residence. However, he added, "We entered to mediate and observe the situation in case any unfortunate incidents occurred," and "We did not meet with President Yoon." He also claimed, "It appears that Kwon Young-jin was assaulted during the CIO's entry process," stating, "Whether the assault was intentional or a mistake is unclear, but his clothes were torn and part of his face was scratched. Citizens were also injured and taken away during the process."

Meanwhile, as of 8 a.m., many People Power Party members had gathered around the presidential residence. At the scene, Kim Ki-hyun said, "We are facing the worst situation where the CIO and the National Investigation Headquarters are forcing the execution of an illegal arrest warrant, raising concerns about the illegal state." Na Kyung-won also stated, "Although the president is only suspended from duty, forcibly and illegally using physical force against a sitting president is a regression of the rule of law in Korea."

Meanwhile, the CIO, which entered the residence, is currently coordinating with President Yoon’s legal team on the method of executing the arrest warrant. Although Seok Dong-hyun, a close lawyer to President Yoon, claimed to be negotiating a 'voluntary appearance' with the CIO, a CIO official dismissed this, saying, "Voluntary appearance is not being considered; the goal is to execute the warrant." The CIO and police arrived near the residence at around 4:28 a.m. and presented the arrest and search warrants to President Yoon’s legal team at 5:10 a.m. They were initially blocked by People Power Party members and others but crossed the first line of defense by climbing over a bus wall with a ladder at around 7:34 a.m.