SEOUL —
South Korea's Police on Tuesday ordered the head of the Presidential Security
Service (PSS) to appear for questioning later this week in its third summons
over allegations he blocked investigators' attempt to detain impeached
President Yoon Suk Yeol.
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- Park Chong-jun, chief of the PSS, was booked on charges of
obstructing official duties after presidential security officials blocked the
Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) from executing
a warrant to detain Yoon last Friday.
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- Park was ordered to appear for questioning on Friday after
he ignored two previous summonses for questioning on Saturday and Tuesday,
reports Yonhap news agency.
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- The PSS earlier said in a notice to the press that Park has
yet to appoint a lawyer.
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- It is difficult for Park to appear today as he has not yet
appointed legal representation, it said. He will coordinate the date for
questioning after appointing a lawyer today or tomorrow.
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- The third summons is likely to be the final one before
police seek a warrant to detain Park.
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- Yoon, who faces charges of insurrection and abuse of power
over his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3, became the first
sitting president to face arrest after he ignored three summonses for
questioning.
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- Lee Kwang-woo, head of the PSS bodyguard division, was also
scheduled for questioning Tuesday on charges of obstructing Yoon's detention.
After he failed to show up, police said they sent a second summons ordering him
to appear on Friday.
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- Yoon has refused to cooperate with the CIO's summonses for
questioning or warrant execution as the agency is not technically authorized to
investigate charges of insurrection.
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- The CIO and the police are jointly reviewing whether to
detain PSS staff in the event they try to block a second attempt to arrest
Yoon, according to police.
