Park Jong-joon, chief of South Korea's presidential security service, receives media interview before being questioned at the request of the National Office of Investigation (NOI) in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 10, 2025. Park appeared before police for questioning on Friday on charges of obstructing the execution of the warrant to arrest President Yoon Suk-yeol, TV footage showed. (NEWSIS via Xinhua)
SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chief of South Korea's presidential security service appeared before police for questioning on Friday on charges of obstructing the execution of the warrant to arrest President Yoon Suk-yeol, TV footage showed.
Park Jong-joon, the presidential security head, appeared at around 10:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) at the request of the National Office of Investigation (NOI) for questioning.
Park told reporters that there should be neither physical conflict nor bloodshed in any case as people were worried about confrontations between government agencies.
He noted that investigations should be carried out considering Yoon's current status as president, saying the arrest warrant execution was not proper.
Park was booked on charges of obstructing the execution of special public affairs. The police sent its third summons to Park earlier this week after he refused to appear on Jan. 4 and 7.
Investigators attempted to arrest Yoon in the presidential residence on Jan. 3, but it failed as the presidential security service blocked the execution.
A Seoul court granted the extension of the warrant to arrest Yoon Tuesday by issuing the second warrant against the impeached president.
The validity term of the second warrant could reportedly be longer than the first one which was valid for a week.
The impeachment motion against Yoon was passed in the National Assembly on Dec. 14 last year and was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which Yoon's presidential power is suspended.
Yoon, who was named by investigative agencies as a suspected ringleader on insurrection charge, declared a martial law on the night of Dec. 3, but it was revoked by the National Assembly hours later. ■