Prosecutors reject 3rd request to arrest acting presidential security chief

Kim Seong-hoon, acting chief of the Presidential Security Service, appears before his questioning at the National Office of Investigation in Seoul, Jan. 24. Yonhap

Prosecutors on Tuesday rejected for the third time a police request to arrest the acting chief of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) over his alleged attempt to block President Yoon Suk Yeol's detention.

The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office dismissed the request to file for an arrest warrant for acting PSS chief Kim Seong-hoon, saying the listed charges are disputable and the possibility he will destroy evidence or flee is low, given he has voluntarily appeared before investigators for questioning, according to legal sources.

A police request to arrest Lee Kwang-woo, head of the PSS bodyguard division, was also rejected for the second time for similar reasons.

The arrests were sought on charges of obstructing official duties and abuse of power after the PSS successfully stopped investigators from detaining Yoon in January over his failed martial law bid the previous month. (Yonhap)