Police raid South Korean presidential office again, but fail

(CLO) South Korean investigators and police were not allowed to enter the Office of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol to search for evidence of martial law on Tuesday (December 17), after security personnel in the area refused to let them in, according to South Korean media.

Mr Yoon was impeached on Saturday over his martial law decree and suspended from his presidential duties. South Korean media said investigators looking into Mr Yoon’s decision to impose martial law waited for about seven hours, but the presidential office security agency refused to let them in.

A joint investigation team consisting of police and the Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO) attempted to access the computer server of the South Korean presidential security agency to obtain records of phone calls.

Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol. Photo: Office of the President of the Republic of Korea

This was the second time the government tried and failed to raid the South Korean presidential office since martial law. An earlier attempt on December 11 ended without a break-in, but the presidential office voluntarily turned over some data.

Since Mr. Yoon made public remarks after being impeached by South Korea's National Assembly on Saturday, the government and the Constitutional Court have been unable to contact or summon him, according to the court and officials.

Mr Yoon has assembled legal teams to defend himself against charges of rebellion and in a case before the Constitutional Court, which will ultimately decide whether to remove him from office or restore him to power.

Seok Dong-hyun, a lawyer and former prosecutor defending Mr. Yoon, declined to say whether Yoon would comply with a summons for questioning on December 21.

Meanwhile, South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo called during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday for next year's government budget to be rolled out quickly from early 2025 to help revive the country's slowing economy .

Huy Hoang (according to KPO, Yonhap, CNA)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/canh-sat-lai-dot-kich-van-phong-tong-thong-han-quoc-nhung-bat-thanh-post326141.html