What safety concerns, Mr. President?
Published: 17 Jan. 2025, 00:02

Kang Joo-an
The author is an editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo.
The image of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) physically blocking high-ranking officials from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police attempting to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan. 3 was shocking. The scene evoked memories of past tragedies like the Yongsan Disaster in 2009 or the Dong-Eui University incident in 1989, where protesters clashed violently with authorities. However, it was almost unthinkable to witness government officials obstructing the execution of a court-issued warrant. The fortified presidential residence, surrounded by barricades and barbed wire, conjured images of medieval siege warfare.
Shortly after the obstruction, Park Jong-jun, the then-chief of the PSS, issued a statement requesting restraint from what he called "insulting remarks that degrade the PSS into a personal militia." His message quickly gained traction among President Yoon's supporters, with a surge of floral tributes appearing at the residence. While the statement may have aimed to articulate the dilemmas faced by the PSS, Park’s assertion that complying with the arrest warrant equated to "abandoning the mission of ensuring the president's absolute safety" is hard to justify. How could the execution of a lawful warrant by the CIO pose a threat to the president's safety? The very act of physically blocking legal enforcement only heightened the tension and risk.
This was not the first time that President Yoon's team cited safety concerns regarding investigations. In July last year, when prosecutors were investigating a luxury bag scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, security concerns prompted prosecutors to visit a PSS annex instead of summoning her to the prosecutors’ office. Such actions raised eyebrows, particularly under an administration led by a former prosecutor general.
Amid preparations for a second attempt at executing the warrant, Park resigned from his post and, upon appearing for questioning by police, remarked that “investigative procedures befitting the president’s position” should be conducted. This candid comment stood in stark contrast to previous arguments. Similarly, Presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk’s last-minute proposals for alternative investigation methods carried little weight given the timing. If such discussions had taken place earlier, when the CIO initially summoned the president, the outcome might have been different. Instead, resistance continued even after a court-issued warrant, culminating in a massive deployment of police to the presidential residence.
The timing of the president’s application for judicial review of his detention was equally perplexing. In a video statement released shortly after his arrest, President Yoon claimed that his actions were aimed at “preventing unfortunate bloodshed.” If that were the case, he should have cooperated during the initial attempt to execute the arrest warrant. This would have spared Park and his deputy, Kim Sung-hoon, from their current predicaments.
President Yoon’s reluctance to participate in judicial proceedings extended to the Constitutional Court, where he cited safety concerns to justify his absence. Yesterday, his legal team requested a postponement of the second hearing, citing his CIO investigation as a reason. However, refusing to cooperate with the CIO while using it as grounds to delay Constitutional Court proceedings presents a contradictory narrative.
As new allegations emerge daily, the president’s legal team’s explanations seem increasingly implausible. They have claimed, for example, that the contentious declaration of martial law was a clerical error by former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. If true, why wasn’t it identified during the review process? Moreover, what charges justified the arrests of National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and People Power Party Chairman Han Dong-hoon if they were not related to violations of the proclamation? Each defense raises more questions than it answers.
On Jan. 15 at 10:33 a.m., President Yoon was transported under heavy security to the CIO headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. The motorcade, with its tight security, resembled the kind of escort typically reserved for international summits. It was hard to imagine a safer scenario.
Whether President Yoon will return to the fortified presidential residence remains uncertain. The compound, transformed into a fortress with significant public funds, now bears the scars of a tumultuous chapter in history, where court orders were met with physical resistance by the PSS. Investigations into allegations of special obstruction of official duties await. Meanwhile, Jo Eon-seok, acting chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, has called for a reexamination of previous audits related to the residence. A September audit revealed irregularities, including a 130 million won ($89,000) bulletproof facility contract inflated to over 1.7 billion won. For first lady Kim Keon Hee, the residence may prove far from a place of solace.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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