January 8, 2025
SEOUL – The chief prosecutor of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which is leading a joint probe into allegations against President Yoon Suk Yeol of leading an insurrection and committing abuse of power, apologized for the body’s failure to detain Yoon but expressed his determination to make no mistakes in their second attempt.
“I feel very sorry as CIO chief for failing to execute the detention warrant that was issued by the court based on reasonable grounds,” Oh Dong-woon, who heads the CIO, said at a parliamentary hearing of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
“A lot of things occurred beyond our expectations, so I feel responsible for that,” he said, when questioned by lawmakers there whether the CIO officials really did not know that there would be resistance from Yoon’s bodyguards.
Oh pledged to steer clear of any confusion in dealing with presidential bodyguards who blocked the CIO’s access to Yoon inside the presidential residence in Friday’s standoff.
“We will prepare for the execution of warrant as if the second attempt is the last one,” he said.
Oh maintained that the CIO is entitled to investigate the insurrection allegations against Yoon, as the court’s warrant granted it the greenlight to do so. In light of this, Oh said it would seek ways to deal with the Presidential Security Service attempting to impede the joint probe team from arresting Yoon, adding he would consider accusing them of obstructing the authorities from fulfilling their duty in the event that the PSS tries to block them again.
His remarks came amid more controversy following the CIO’s reversal of its decision to delegate Yoon’s detention to police within hours on Monday, sparking doubts about its investigative capabilities and role in the ongoing investigation.
While joint probe confusion arose leading up to the deadline for the warrant, the investigation team has stopped short of making a second attempt to detain Yoon. Its first attempt on Friday bore no fruit following a five-hour standoff.
Though the court on Dec. 31 had issued a warrant to allow the CIO to detain Yoon before it expired Monday at midnight, the CIO on Monday had tried to shift its responsibility to execute the warrant and instead let police take over. The CIO added that it would not yield its investigative authority to the police in a joint probe.
But the police did not comply with the CIO’s request, as its National Office of Investigation claimed the request was unlawful. Later Monday, the CIO retreated in its bid to task the police with executing the arrest warrant and applied to extend the warrant. The Seoul Western District Court has yet to issue a new warrant as of press time.
Both rival parties slammed the CIO for its haphazard decision that it quickly reversed, despite the gravity of the case it was dealing with — detaining a sitting president in a move unprecedented in South Korea’s history.
Ruling People Power Party Floor Leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong demanded the CIO hand over its investigative authorities to police to “ward off confusion” in the judicial system, arguing that the CIO has neither the authority nor capability to lead the investigation into Yoon.
Kweon also claimed the CIO does not have the authority to apply for a warrant to detain Yoon, likening it to “making a purchase with counterfeit money.” According to him, police instead should take the lead in the investigation and the CIO should step aside, with the implication being that the police would have to ask the prosecution to apply for the court warrant later.
Main opposition party lawmakers also criticized the CIO, but argued that the CIO should lead both the warrant execution and investigation into Yoon.
Rep. Park Beom-kye said in a radio interview Tuesday that the CIO’s chief prosecutor deserves one more chance to take the lead in the investigation into Yoon, given the historic significance of the investigative body that is meant to “keep both the prosecution and police in check.”
Democratic Party Floor Leader Rep. Park Chan-dae also said the CIO’s failure to detain Yoon over the past week had been “disappointing,” but urged the CIO to “stand ready with police to detain Yoon and anyone else obstructing their duty to execute the warrant,” if the arrest warrant’s period of validity is extended.
The joint probe into Yoon’s Dec. 3 declaration of martial law declaration kicked off on Dec. 11. The CIO, National Office of Investigation and Defense Ministry joined forces. Before the arrest warrant was issued, the investigation team had summoned Yoon to appear for questioning three times by late December, but Yoon ignored all the summons.