Former Security Service Official: "Yoon Said at Luncheon Arrest Warrant Would Be Dismissed"

Kwangwoo Lee, Chief of Security at the Presidential Security Service, who is accused of obstructing the arrest of President Yoon Sukyeol, is leaving the courthouse after completing the pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review) at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News

Testimony has emerged in court that former President Yoon Sukyeol stated during a luncheon with senior officials of the Presidential Security Service ahead of the execution of his arrest warrant in January, "The execution of an arrest warrant against me is illegal and will be dismissed."

The 35th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Baek Daehyun) held a continued trial on the 21st regarding former President Yoon's charges, including obstruction of official duties.

Kwangwoo Lee, former Chief of Security at the Presidential Security Service, appeared as a witness at the trial. When asked by the special prosecutor's team, "Did former President Yoon say during the January 11 luncheon, 'The execution of an arrest warrant against me is illegal and will be dismissed'?" Lee replied, "I heard that."

The special prosecutor's team then asked, "Did you hear anything about showing guns?" Lee testified, "Former President Yoon said, 'Police officers are not assigned one gun per person, but security officers are, so aren't security officers better shots than the police?'"

He further elaborated, "He said, 'Just seeing you with guns would make them feel intimidated and uneasy.'"

However, Lee stated, "But I did not hear any direct order to show the guns." When asked whether former President Yoon had instructed, "Can't you just shoot them? If they come over, shoot them," Lee answered, "I do not remember that." He also testified that he did not hear any instruction to "block the arrest warrant."

Lee also acknowledged that, prior to the execution of the arrest warrant for former President Yoon, a staff member at the Presidential Security Service reported that "blocking the arrest warrant for former President Yoon would constitute obstruction of official duties."

Regarding this, the special prosecutor's team asked, "Were you aware that an investigation would be launched if the execution of the arrest warrant was blocked?" Lee replied, "I had an intuition about it, but I could not tell former Deputy Chief Kim Sunghoon." He added, "The staff at the Presidential Security Service lived under strict hierarchical discipline and had never disobeyed a superior's command or order. I thought former Deputy Chief Kim must have struggled with this a lot and decided to follow his way."

During the trial, it was also revealed that Lee sent a message to former Deputy Chief Kim saying, "If crazy people come, we should beat them up." When the special prosecutor's team asked, "Did you intend to obstruct the execution of the arrest warrant?" he explained, "The leadership at the time showed a strong determination, so my response was in line with that."