Police in hourslong standoff with PSS in 6th attempt to search presidential office

The police were locked in a seven-hour standoff with Presidential Security Service officials on Wednesday as they attempted to conduct a search and seizure of the presidential office, along with the PSS’ office and residence of its former acting chief, Kim Seong-hoon, as part of its ongoing investigations into the Dec. 3 martial law debacle involving former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

At 10:13 a.m., the special investigation team of the Korean National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation presented a warrant to presidential security officials at both the presidential office and the PSS office and chief's residence, which are located in two different areas in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul.

While the PSS office and chief's residence are located in the same compound as the presidential residence at Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, the presidential office is located near the Defense Ministry, in Samgakji, also in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul.

According to police officials, the police aimed to secure phone server-related data from the secure phone lines of Yoon and Kim, as well as internal documents related to the martial law declaration at the presidential office and the PSS office and its chief's residence.

As of 5:30 p.m., police had yet to enter the buildings after more than seven hours, as the PSS refused to cooperate with police officials. The reason behind the PSS’ refusal to cooperate with the search, was unspecified.

Both Yoon and Kim are being investigated on charges of obstructing public duties, with Yoon being accused of instructing Kim to block the police from executing Yoon’s arrest warrant back in January. Kim is also accused of ordering the deletion of secure phone server records, which is considered an abuse of power according to South Korea’s Presidential Security Service Act.

Additionally, the police stated that security camera footage of the presidential office is also subject to being seized from the search in relation to insurrection charges against former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min. Lee is also suspected of ordering the power and water to be cut off at major media outlets when Yoon declared martial law the night of Dec. 3.

These police raids come after five failed attempts by authorities to conduct search and seizure operations of the presidential office and residence as well as the PSS’ office and chief's residence, following the Dec. 3 martial law declaration.

During each of the police's five previous attempts, the president's bodyguards physically blocked investigators from carrying out any search and seizure, arguing that the Criminal Procedure Act does not allow locations holding confidential information on the military and the president's duties to be subject to search and seizure without the consent of the "responsible authority."

According to Article 84 of the Constitution, a sitting president has immunity from prosecution except in cases of insurrection of treason. When Yoon was removed from office by the Constitutional Court on April 4, he lost that immunity.