Police fail in attempt to raid presidential office after hourslong standoff

Police failed to raid the presidential office Wednesday over allegations surrounding former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law bid after a 10-hour standoff with presidential security officials.

The police’s special investigation team presented a warrant to search the presidential office’s secure phone server, and the Presidential Security Service (PSS) office and residence, all in the central Seoul district of Yongsan, earlier in the day, according to officials.

But security officials blocked their entry, and the presidential office later submitted a statement of disapproval, prompting investigators to leave the scene.

The police said the PSS had instead agreed to voluntarily provide certain materials, including data from the classified phone server.

Police have repeatedly attempted to seize the server records of a secure phone used by Yoon related to his Dec. 3 martial law imposition but have been largely unsuccessful.

By law, military facilities and other areas that handle confidential information cannot be searched or seized without approval from the responsible authority or office.

Acting PSS chief Kim Seong-hoon is accused of obstructing investigators’ attempt to detain Yoon at the presidential residence in January. Last month, a Seoul court turned down the prosecution’s request for warrants to arrest Kim and Lee Kwang-woo, chief of the PSS’ bodyguard division.

Kim reportedly announced his intention to step down by the end of the month during an emergency meeting with PSS officials, sources said earlier this week.

Police officials said the presidential office’s surveillance cameras are also subject to the raid in connection with former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min’s insurrection charges.