Park Jeong-joon said the public is worried about violence if authorities forcefully arrest the suspended president.
South Korea’s presidential security chief has resigned after warning authorities to avoid “bloodshed” in any attempt to arrest President Yun Seok-yeol, who was impeached over his brief imposition of martial law.
Presidential Security Office Chief Park Jeong-joon resigned on Friday amid an investigation into charges of obstruction of official duties.
The office of Acting President Choi Sang-mok confirmed that it had accepted the resignation of President Park, who appeared for police questioning in the morning of the same day.
When he arrived for questioning, Park said many people were concerned about the possibility of violence if law enforcement tried to execute the arrest warrant against Yoon again.
“I came here today with the belief that there should be no physical confrontation or bloodshed under any circumstances,” Park told reporters at the Joint Investigation Headquarters in Seoul. “There is,” he said.
The CIO and police are preparing to detain Mr. Yoon for a second time after law enforcement officials blocked the execution of a warrant at his official residence last week.
The Anti-Corruption Agency abandoned Yoon’s detention last Friday after an hours-long standoff with presidential guards, citing concerns for the safety of its staff.
Mr. Yoon, whose brief declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 plunged South Korea into its deepest political crisis in decades, is being investigated on charges of sedition and abuse of power.
Yun has been suspended from office since the impeachment resolution was passed in the National Assembly on December 14th, and if he is arrested, he would be the first sitting president in South Korean history to be detained.
Park ignored two previous requests to appear for questioning, saying Yoon had been treated unfairly and that the investigation should be conducted in a manner befitting “the dignity of the nation.”
Yun’s lawyers argued that the attempt to detain the suspended president had no legal basis and called on authorities to indict him or request a formal arrest warrant that would require a court hearing.
Meanwhile, polls released this week showed support for Mr. Yin and his People’s Power Party (PPP) is growing despite legal issues.
In a Gallup Korea poll released on Friday, 64% of respondents said they supported Yun’s removal from office, down from 75% immediately after martial law was declared.
The PPP’s approval rating rose to 34% from 24% about a month ago.
