Kwon Sungdong Urges Prosecution to Release President After Second Rejection of Yoon's Detention Extension

Immediate Call for Oh Dongwoon, CIO Chief, to Step Down

On January 25, Kwon Sungdong, floor leader of the People Power Party, urged that "the prosecution must immediately release the president so that he can be investigated without detention," following the court's repeated dismissal of the request to extend President Yoon Suk Yeol's detention warrant.

That afternoon, Kwon wrote on his Facebook page, "The final request for an extension of the president's detention warrant has been denied. All of this confusion stems from the illegal execution of an arrest warrant by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which does not have the authority to investigate insurrection charges."

He continued, "The CIO only arrested the president, but failed to conduct a proper investigation. The prosecution also bears responsibility. The prosecution must not decide to indict a sitting president in custody based on the CIO's flawed and inadequate investigation."

Kwon further emphasized, "Proper investigation must be conducted in accordance with due process before deciding whether to indict," adding, "Procedural completeness is crucial in investigations involving the president. Any procedural flaws will only cause investigative confusion, as we see now, and further intensify public conflict."

Kwon Sungdong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Kwon also reiterated his call for the resignation of Oh Dongwoon, head of the CIO. He urged, "I hope he will apologize to the public for causing all this chaos and step down immediately."

Previously, the prosecution, after receiving President Yoon's case from the CIO, applied for an extension of detention to the Seoul Central District Court. However, on the previous day, Kim Seokbeom, the judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, denied the request, stating, "There is no explicit provision in the CIO Act regarding the prosecution's supplementary investigative authority."

Just four hours after the court's decision, the prosecution reapplied for an extension of detention. However, Choi Minhye, the duty judge in charge of the 26th Criminal Division, also dismissed the prosecution's renewed request for an extension, making it likely that the prosecution will indict President Yoon in custody on the 26th.