South Korea: Police to again file for arrest warrants for 2 Yoon aides

Seoul, March 17 (IANS) South Korean Police said on Monday that they are set to again apply for arrest warrants for two senior officials of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) accused of obstructing investigators' attempt to detain impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

An official from the National Office of Investigation (NOI) said police have finalised preparations to detain acting PSS chief Kim Seong-hoon and Lee Kwang-woo, chief of the PSS' bodyguard division, and are set to present the applications to the prosecution later on Monday.

Kim and Lee are accused of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant for Yoon in January, taking unjust actions and instructing subordinates to delete records of phone conversations between Yoon and military commanders involved in the December 3 martial law declaration, Yonhap news agency reported.

The prosecution previously rejected the police's request to seek arrest warrants for Kim thrice and Lee twice. However, a warrant review panel from the Seoul High Prosecutors Office sided with the police on March 6, concluding it was appropriate for the prosecution to request arrest warrants for the two.

The police have conducted a supplementary investigation to justify the need to detain Kim and Lee, the NOI official said.

Earlier on Sunday, the South Korean ruling People Power Party (PPP) said that they will accept whatever decision the Constitutional Court makes on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial, the party's floor leader said, outlining the party's official stance ahead of the ruling.

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong's remark came as the court is currently deliberating whether to reinstate or remove Yoon from office after he was impeached over his short-lived martial law declaration on December 3. It has yet to announce the date of the ruling, though many observers expect it to take place this week.

"Our party's official stance is that (we) will accept the court's decision," he told reporters. "As you all know, constitutional trials are single-trial cases ... once a ruling is made, the outcome is binding on everyone."

In response to Kweon's comments, Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the main Opposition Democratic Party, stressed that "respecting the Constitutional Court's ruling is only a natural thing to do for any politician who is committed to upholding the Constitution in any constitutional state."

"We'll see if (the PPP) actually follows through with its actions," he said.

If Yoon is ousted, the country will be required to hold a snap presidential election within 60 days. If reinstated, he will serve out the remainder of his term through May 2027.

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