Rep. Park Jong-jun said citizens were concerned about violence if authorities went ahead to arrest the suspended president.
South Korea’s presidential security chief has resigned after warning authorities to avoid “bloodshed” in an attempt to arrest President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was impeached for declaring short-lived martial law.
Presidential Security Service chief Park Jong-joon, who is under investigation for obstruction of official duties, resigned on Friday.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok’s office confirmed that it had accepted the resignation of former President Park, who appeared at the police investigation this morning.
As he arrived for questioning, Park said many citizens were concerned about the potential for violence to break out if investigators tried to execute another arrest warrant against Yoon.
“I came here today with the belief that there should be no physical conflict or bloodshed under any circumstances,” Park told reporters at the Joint Investigation Headquarters in Seoul that day.
The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) and police are preparing a second attempt to detain Yoon after his security team prevented investigators from executing a warrant at his home last week.
The Anti-Corruption Agency, concerned for the safety of its employees, gave up its attempt to detain Yoon after a hours-long standoff with presidential security guards last Friday.
Prosecutor General Yoon, who plunged Korea into the most serious political crisis in decades by briefly declaring martial law on December 3, is being investigated on charges of rebellion and abuse of power.
If arrested, former President Yoon, who was suspended from office following the National Assembly’s impeachment vote on December 14, would become the first sitting president in Korean history to be detained.
Former President Park, who had previously refused to be subpoenaed for investigation twice, said that Mr. Yoon had been treated unfairly and that the investigation should be conducted in a manner befitting the “dignity of the nation.”
President Yoon’s lawyers argued that attempts to detain the suspended president lacked a legal basis and urged authorities to indict him or request a formal arrest warrant that would require a court hearing.
Meanwhile, a poll released this week showed growing support for Yoon and the People Power Party despite the legal challenges.
In a Gallup Korea poll released Friday, 64% of respondents said they supported President Yoon’s resignation, down from 75% immediately after martial law was declared.
The PPP’s approval rating rose to 34% from 24% about a month ago.
