Security Chief Ordered, "If Breached, Take Out Submachine Guns"; Live Ammunition Moved to Residence
Yoon's Side Denies "Order to Delete Secure Phone Records or Consider Firearm Use"... Claims Unmentioned During Deputy Director's Investigation
Police have secured testimony that President Yoon Seok-yeol instructed senior officials of the Presidential Security Service to consider using firearms before his arrest. However, the president's legal team has denied these claims, stating they are not true.
On the 20th, the police special investigation unit revealed that they obtained testimony from a Security Service official indicating that during a lunch with head of security chiefs on the 10th?five days before the execution of the second arrest warrant?President Yoon asked, "Can't we shoot (when executing the arrest warrant)?"
Security Service Deputy Director Kim Seong-hoon reportedly responded, "Yes, understood."
It was also confirmed that Security Headquarters Chief Lee Kwang-woo ordered two submachine guns and 80 rounds of live ammunition to be taken from the armory and moved inside the presidential residence in preparation for the warrant execution.
Between the 10th and 12th, Chief Lee instructed that two MP7 submachine guns and 80 rounds of ammunition be relocated from the armory in the presidential residence to the family security department inside the residence.
Additionally, 1 to 2 days before the arrest warrant execution, Chief Lee reportedly instructed security officers working at the residence to "run out with submachine guns if the second main gate is breached."
The second main gate refers to the gate in front of the presidential residence where President Yoon stays.
However, on the day of the warrant execution, the 15th, most Security Service staff did not follow Chief Lee’s orders, and no use of firearms occurred.
The special investigation unit believes that President Yoon gave instructions during the Security Service’s efforts to obstruct the warrant execution and has registered him as a suspect on charges of obstruction of official duties.
Deputy Director Kim and Chief Lee were arrested by the police on charges of obstructing the execution of the arrest warrant against President Yoon, and detention warrants were requested, but the prosecution rejected them.
The prosecution reportedly cited reasons such as no risk of reoffending and no concern over evidence tampering in rejecting the detention requests related to the execution of the arrest warrant against President Yoon.
Both men were immediately released and reportedly returned to their security duties afterward.
The special investigation unit plans to reapply for detention warrants for the two after conducting supplementary investigations.
While investigating presidential office officials, the police special investigation unit also secured testimony that "Deputy Director Kim contacted the server administrator of the presidential office’s secure phone system and ordered the deletion of communication records of secure phones belonging to the Commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, the Capital Defense Command, and the Army Special Warfare Command."
The server administrator reportedly considered Kim’s order illegal and did not delete the call records. The special investigation unit views this as another indication of evidence tampering.
President Yoon’s side denied the reports as false upon their release.
Yoon Gap-geun, a lawyer for President Yoon, issued a statement on the same day saying, "The president did not order the deletion of secure phone records, and this was never mentioned during the investigation of Deputy Director Kim. Therefore, the claim that evidence tampering was considered when requesting Kim’s detention warrant is also untrue."
He added, "The claim that the president instructed consideration of firearm use is also false. At that time, there was a report that protesters would illegally infiltrate the presidential residence via Maebongsan, so Chief Lee simply strengthened security by relocating two firearms from the outer perimeter desk (conceptually a guard post) to the internal desk (family quarters guard post) inside the residence."
He further stated, "The president emphasized during the lunch with senior security officials that physical force should not be used and that responses should be handled without conflict."
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