Opposition to Block Yoon Seok-yeol's 'Imperial Security and Parole'

Jeong Chunsaeng Proposes Partial Amendment on Presidential Protection
"Unjust to Protect Suspects of Treason Using Security Personnel and Budget"

The opposition party is pushing for measures to restrict the so-called imperial protection for President Yoon Seok-yeol, who has been detained as a suspect of treason. They are also preparing a bill that completely prohibits parole in cases of serious crimes such as 'foreign exchange crimes.'

On the 21st, Jeong Chun-saeng, a member of the Party for National Innovation, introduced the 'Partial Amendment to the Act on the Protection of the President, etc.' which bans imperial protection for President Yoon. The reason is that it is an excessive privilege for the protection service to provide protection to the president or other protected persons even while they are in custody.

In fact, the current law does not have specific provisions regarding protection when the protected person, such as the president, is detained. Accordingly, the protection service currently waits outside the detention center's internal fence at President Yoon's detention facility and provides close protection when external movement is necessary.

In a phone interview, Representative Jeong said, "President Yoon is a suspect under investigation by investigative agencies with his presidential powers suspended due to charges of treason, yet he still receives protection from the Presidential Security Service based on current law," adding, "We will promptly push to exclude protection for suspects of treason, which consumes personnel and budget."

On the 19th, some supporters who heard the news of President Yoon Seok-yeol's arrest caused illegal violent incidents, and on the morning of the 20th, police are fully controlling access to the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

The Democratic Party is also pushing for legal amendments regarding presidential protection. The Democratic Party explains that it is urgent to establish reasonable standards by amending the current law to exclude protected persons during detention periods.

Representative Kim Seung-won recently proposed the 'Partial Amendment to the Criminal Act,' which includes restrictions on parole for those who have committed serious crimes threatening the lives and safety of the people. According to current law, a person serving a prison or detention sentence may be granted parole by administrative disposition after serving 20 years for life imprisonment or one-third of the sentence for fixed-term imprisonment if their conduct is good and repentance is clear.

Representative Kim emphasized, "The amendment should restrict parole for those who endangered the existence of the state, such as treason or foreign exchange crimes, to ensure national safety and uphold judicial justice." The Democratic Party stressed that even after the Constitutional Court's approval of President Yoon's impeachment and imprisonment, special pardons should be excluded to prevent the possibility of far-right agitation in the future.