Police Conduct Search at Presidential Office Amid Ongoing Investigation

On April 16, 2025, the Special Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency conducted a search at the Presidential Office and the nearby government residence in Yongsan, Seoul. This operation is linked to allegations against former President Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Sung-hoon, the Deputy Chief of the Presidential Security Service, regarding obstruction of the execution of arrest warrants (special public service obstruction). The police are currently examining secure communication servers, known as 비화폰 (bi-hwa-phone), which are designed to prevent eavesdropping and call recording, as well as the offices of the security service and the residence of the security chief. Additionally, the police have indicated that they are also targeting CCTV footage from the Presidential Office in connection with former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who is facing charges of insurrection. However, the police noted that they had applied for search warrants three times to access the CCTV footage and the secure phone servers related to Lee's insurrection charges, but all requests were denied by the prosecution.