South Korea: Yoon's Administration Submits Limited Documents to Thwart Police Raid

Seoul, Dec 11 (NationPress) South Korea's police forces concluded their prolonged efforts on Wednesday to execute a raid on the presidential office, as the presidential security service refused to aid their investigation concerning President Yoon Suk Yeol's alleged insurrection stemming from his brief declaration of martial law last week.

In lieu of a raid, Yoon's office voluntarily provided very limited documents and materials to the police.

A group of 18 investigators arrived at the presidential office complex shortly before noon, aiming to find evidence related to the martial law decree, including records from a Cabinet meeting that took place just before Yoon announced the order on December 3, as reported by the National Investigation Office of the National Police Agency (NPA).

However, as of 4 p.m., the investigators had yet to enter the presidential office building, as discussions were ongoing with the presidential security service regarding the operational details of the raid.

A search warrant identified Yoon as a suspect, including the president's office, the Cabinet meeting room, the Presidential Security Service, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) building within the scope of the raid.

The JCS headquarters are situated within the same compound, where the martial law command utilized the basement as its situation room during the six hours of enforced martial law. Police were attempting to enter the building to retrieve materials pertinent to its operations, according to reports from Yonhap news agency.

Initial reports indicated that Yoon was not present in the presidential office building at the time of the attempted raid, but subsequent details remained unverified.

Yoon has been labeled a suspect facing charges of insurrection and mutiny. Additionally, he is currently prohibited from leaving the country, marking him as the first sitting president to face an exit ban.

Authorities suspect Yoon orchestrated the alleged insurrection.

Army Special Warfare Commander Lieutenant General Kwak Jong-keun informed lawmakers on Tuesday that he was instructed by Yoon to remove legislators from the National Assembly building to prevent them from repealing the martial law order last week.

Law enforcement has also suggested the possibility of placing Yoon under emergency arrest without a warrant due to the severe nature of the insurrection charge, which carries a potential death penalty.

Additionally, police conducted raids on the offices of the NPA, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), and the National Assembly Police Guards on Wednesday.

This search operation followed the emergency arrests of NPA chief Cho Ji-ho and SMPA chief Kim Bong-sik earlier that day.