WNAM REPORT: Military personnel on guard duty at the presidential residence will not be mobilized to obstruct investigators from attempting to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, the defense ministry said Tuesday.
Investigators are expected to make a second attempt to detain Yoon this week over his short-lived martial law imposition, after a failed bid early this month that involved an hourslong standoff between the police and Yoon’s security staff at the compound in central Seoul.
“(We) clearly state that the military security unit will focus on its mission to guard the perimeters of the residence and will not be mobilized (to obstruct) the warrant execution,” Col. Lee Kyung-ho, a defense ministry spokesperson, said in a briefing.
Lee said the defense ministry has informed the Presidential Security Service (PSS) of its stance, and the agency confirmed it would not mobilize the military unit guarding the residence.
Police suspect that PSS officials ordered the unit to take part in efforts to block investigators from detaining Yoon during their first attempt on Jan. 3.
