Some CCTV Footage Spreads Online
Believed to Be Filmed During the Viewing Process
On September 1, members of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party reviewed CCTV footage of former President Yoon Sukyeol, who is being held at the Seoul Detention Center, refusing to comply with the execution of an arrest warrant. Portions of this footage are now spreading online.
The video appears to have been filmed by someone present during the CCTV viewing. In the approximately 19-second clip, former President Yoon is seen sitting, turning his head toward the special prosecutor, and speaking. The expressions of the enforcement officers, who appear perplexed, are also clearly captured. There is debate online as to whether Yoon was wearing a beige-colored detainee uniform or was shirtless at the time.
Former President Yoon Sukyeol is coming out after the warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on July 9. Photo by Joint Press Corps
Kim Yongmin, the ruling party secretary of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, told reporters after viewing the CCTV footage at the Seoul Detention Center on September 1, "During the first attempt to execute the warrant, former President Yoon was lying down in his underwear and strongly resisted, saying, 'You cannot use force against me.' He refused to comply, speaking informally and telling the officers not to touch him."
According to committee members who watched the CCTV footage, during the first attempt to execute the arrest warrant by the special prosecutor's team on August 1, former President Yoon was wearing long sleeves and long pants while waiting inside the detention center. He refused the execution of the warrant, asking for his lawyer to be called. When the transfer chief and the special prosecutor's team, who are responsible for escorting detainees, briefly left and then re-entered the room, Yoon had changed into only his underwear, covered himself with a blanket, and continued to refuse compliance, according to the committee members.
During the second attempt to execute the arrest warrant on August 7, it is reported that Yoon was already sitting cross-legged in his underwear, reading a Bible when the special prosecutor's team arrived at the detention center. The transfer chief asked him to comply with the warrant execution, but committee members who viewed the CCTV footage said Yoon resisted, saying, "On what grounds are you executing the warrant when I am refusing? Let me see my lawyer."
Democratic Party members of the committee also refuted claims that the special prosecutor used physical force and injured Yoon during the second attempt to execute the warrant, stating that the extent of force was limited to pulling the chair Yoon was sitting on out of the room. The Democratic Party and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party plan to hold further discussions before deciding whether to release the CCTV footage of former President Yoon.
Regarding the viewing of the CCTV footage, the People Power Party and Yoon's camp have strongly objected, calling it an attempt to humiliate him. Yoon's legal team released a statement on the morning of September 1, saying, "Today, the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee reviewed CCTV footage from the Seoul Detention Center to check for allegations of preferential treatment and obstruction of investigation, but this violates the Act on the Execution of Criminal Penalties, the Information Disclosure Act, and the Personal Information Protection Act. CCTV in detention facilities is only to be used within the minimum scope necessary for the supervision of detainees or facilities, and cannot be used or viewed to check for preferential treatment or obstruction of investigation, as decided by the National Assembly."
The legal team further pointed out, "CCTV inside correctional facilities is classified as security footage and is not to be made public. This is not only to protect the human rights of detainees but also because exposing the internal structure or security system of the facility could pose a serious security risk." They added, "The legality of the arrest is a matter for the judiciary to decide and does not fall under the public's right to know. For the National Assembly, which is neither an investigative agency nor a court, to attempt to verify this is no different from violating the law for political purposes."
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