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Yoon’s ‘hard-headed’ armed guards raise fears of bloodshed in South Korea

Some guards were ‘determined’ to use assault weapons to prevent the impeached Yoon’s arrest, a presidential security agent told local media

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Security personnel check vehicles at the entrance gate of the presidential residence of South Korea’s impeached  president Yoon Suk-yeol last week. Photo: AFP
Fears of violence are mounting in South Korea as attempts to arrest Yoon Suk-yeol continue. Allegations have surfaced that the impeached president has instructed his security team to use firearms if necessary.

Discussions about deploying assault weapons, such as submachine guns, to block investigators from entering the presidential residence to arrest Yoon were reportedly held during a meeting of senior Presidential Security Service (PSS) officers on Sunday, led by acting PSS head Kim Sung-hoon.

Yoon’s chief of staff, Chung Jin-suk, issued a rare public statement on Tuesday, criticising investigators for treating the president like a “South American drug cartel leader”. He voiced concerns about an impending clash between investigators and the presidential security service.

Reports say tomorrow is D-Day
Chung Jin-suk, Yoon Suk-yeol’s chief of staff

“Reports say tomorrow is D-Day,” Chung said on Tuesday, referencing claims that investigators, backed by police, plan to deploy around 1,000 officers to confront the 200 or so security agents guarding Yoon at his “fortified” residence in central Seoul.

“The most worrying issue is the possibility of clashes,” he warned, highlighting the rising tension between the police and Yoon’s bodyguards. Thousands of Yoon’s supporters have been camping near his residence for days in a show of solidarity with the embattled president. Chung cautioned that any confrontation between police and citizens could lead to “unimaginable tragedies”.

He urged investigators to respect Yoon’s right to self-defence, emphasising that the president was willing to be questioned either at his residence or at a neutral location. He strongly opposed any attempt to forcibly detain Yoon and transport him to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO), which is leading the investigation into Yoon’s controversial December 3 martial law decree.

On Saturday, Yoon reportedly summoned top PSS officials and urged them to “not hesitate to use weapons” to prevent investigators from the CIO and police from detaining him.

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