Official announcements from the South Korean government or major South Korean news outlets

South Korea's Park Jong-joon Resigns as Presidential Security Chief Amid Yoon Arrest Controversy

Jan 10, 2025, 09:43 AM

Park Jong-joon, the head of South Korea's presidential security service, resigned after facing a 13-hour police interrogation over allegations that his forces blocked an attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. Park submitted his resignation to Acting President Choi Sang-mok before appearing at the police station. The resignation was accepted by Choi, who also proposed that parliament appoint a special prosecutor to resolve the ongoing standoff between investigative agencies and the presidential security service. Park's actions were in response to an arrest warrant issued for Yoon over his brief imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024. Park emphasized that any further attempts to detain Yoon should avoid bloodshed and physical clashes between government agencies.