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Police book Yoon for meddling in detention warrant execution after secret texts surface

Published: 21 Feb. 2025, 12:27 Updated: 22 Feb. 2025, 17:08

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

President Yoon Suk Yeol sits in the main chamber of the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, during his impeachment trial hearing on Jan. 21. [NEWS1]

Police said Friday they have booked President Yoon Suk Yeol on suspicion of obstructing the execution of a detention warrant against him last month.

According to police, the case against Yoon was opened on charges of “obstructing special official duties” after investigators obtained text messages exchanged between the president and Presidential Security Service (PSS) deputy chief Kim Seong-hoon.

As a sitting president, Yoon is immune from prosecution on this charge. The minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party had previously filed a police complaint against him for the same offense.

Yoon and Kim reportedly communicated via the encrypted messaging app Signal during investigators’ first attempt to execute the detention warrant on Jan. 3. Additional messages were reportedly exchanged on Jan. 7, in which Yoon instructed the PSS to take “proactive actions” if another attempt was made to arrest him.

Investigators ultimately took Yoon into custody on Jan. 15 during their second attempt.

However, police said they could not verify the exact contents of the messages.

Meanwhile, prosecutors on Tuesday rejected a police request for the third time to arrest PSS deputy Kim over his alleged role in obstructing Yoon’s detention.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL, CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]