According to his lawyers, the arrest procedure of suspended President Jun Sok-yol was illegal.
The legal team of suspended South Korean President Jun Sok-yol announced on Sunday that it will file complaints against the chief prosecutor of the Corruption Perceptions Bureau (CIO) and about 150 investigators and police officers who were involved in Friday’s attempt to execute an arrest warrant issued in Jun’s name in connection with with the controversial declaration of martial law. The agency Jonhap informed about it, writes TASR.
According to Jun’s lawyers, this whole procedure was illegal. They also announced that they would file a complaint against the acting defense minister and police chief, who allegedly ignored the request of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to provide additional reinforcements. According to the lawyers, these were supposed to help the PSS members to help thwart the attempt to detain Jun.
Lawyers filed an objection to Jun’s arrest warrant on Thursday, but the Seoul District Court rejected it on Sunday.
The opposition demands his immediate detention
The arrest warrant for Jun Sok-jol was issued in connection with an investigation into his Dec. 3 decision to declare martial law. The warrant will expire on Monday, January 6. The main opposition Democratic Party (DPK) called on the CIO to quickly detain Jun. For DPK, it is very disappointing to see how the CIO is “hesitating and letting time pass”.
Thousands of people gathered in front of Jun’s residence on Sunday – despite the heavy snowfall in Seoul – one camp demanded Jun’s arrest, while the other demanded that his constitutional indictment be declared invalid. In a speech from the podium at a rally of Jun’s opponents, activist Kim pointed out that there is “barely one day” left to execute the arrest warrant. He criticized that PSS members are covering and protecting Jun, and the CIO “can’t buy more time.”
“Angry citizens have already spent two freezing nights (in street protests) demanding Jun’s immediate detention. Can’t their voices be heard?” the activist asked.
Jun’s lawyers challenged both the arrest warrants and the search warrants, saying they could not be executed at his residence because of a law that protects places potentially connected to military secrets from being searched without the consent of the person responsible — which is Jun. They also claim that the CIO has no legal authority to investigate the sedition charges and that the police have no authority to assist in Jun’s arrest.
