Protesters demand the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol during a rally near the presidential residence in Seoul on Jan. 5, 2025. (Yonhap)The arrest warrant, issued last Tuesday after Yoon ignored three summonses for questioning regarding his Dec. 3 martial law declaration, is set to expire at midnight on Monday. The agency plans to request an extension of the warrant from the court.
On Sunday, the CIO sent an official letter to the National Office of Investigation (NOI), asking the police to handle the warrant's execution while the CIO retains control of the investigation.
The CIO’s initial attempt to enforce the warrant failed Friday after a more than five-hour standoff with the Presidential Security Service.
The CIO then requested Acting President Choi Sang-mok to ensure cooperation from the security service. However, it received no response by the noon deadline on Sunday.
"We determined we could no longer wait for a response," Lee Jae-seung, deputy chief of the investigation office, said.
He explained that the decision was based on the police's expertise in warrant execution and the need for unified command at the scene.
He added that the investigation office has about 50 members, with only 30 available for field operations, while the police are better equipped to handle potential physical confrontations during an arrest attempt.
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