South Korea: Military unit approves entrance of police, CIO into Presidential residence

Seoul, Jan 14 A military unit guarding the presidential residence on Tuesday approved the entry of police and anti-corruption agency officials into the presidential residence to detain impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, officials said.

Upon request by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), the unit under the Capital Defence Command said that it will allow investigators from the CIO, police and the Ministry of Defence to access the presidential residence, according to the CIO.

The unit is responsible for guarding the outside of the presidential residence, Yonhap news agency reported.

The move is anticipated to help police and CIO officials carry out their second attempt to detain Yoon, expected to take place early Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the Presidential Security Service (PSS) raised the possibility of blocking a second attempt to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, stating that a forced entry into Yoon's residence would be "illegal" and that it would respond in accordance with its security protocols.

The PSS issued the statement hours after meeting with the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) to discuss the execution of Yoon's arrest warrant over his short-lived imposition of martial law.

The PSS had thwarted the CIO's earlier attempt to detain Yoon on January 3.

"Specific security areas, including the presidential residence, are designated as security zones, national security facilities, critical national facilities, and military protection zones. Entry into these areas requires prior approval from the responsible authority," the PSS said, adding that forced entry into these areas would be "illegal."

The PSS stated that it had held sufficient consultations with the police and the CIO to avoid physical confrontations and pledged to make efforts to prevent any clashes during the warrant's execution.

Meanwhile, South Korea had been thrust into a period of political uncertainty following Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration on December 3, 2024, and his subsequent impeachment on December 14, 2024.