Park Jong-joon, head of the Presidential Security Service and President Yoon Suk Yeol's chief bodyguard, appears for questioning at the police's National Office of Investigation headquarters in Seoul on Friday (Jan 10, 2025). - Photo: Yonhap
SEOUL: President Yoon Suk Yeol's chief bodyguard, Park Jong-joon, submitted his letter of resignation Friday (Jan 10) before appearing at the police for questioning for allegedly obstructing officials from the joint investigation team from carrying out a court-ordered warrant to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Choi Sang-mok, acting president and deputy prime minister, has accepted Park's resignation, his office announced Friday.
Just before the announcement, the Presidential Security Service said Friday that he had submitted his resignation letter to Choi through his secretary.
Park formerly served as head of the presidential bodyguards since September last year.
He had replaced Kim Yong-hyun, when the latter became defense minister of South Korea.
Kim, now in detention for allegedly participating in an insurrection, played a key role in carrying out Yoon's botched imposition of martial law last month.
Park underwent 13 hours of police questioning at the headquarters of the police's National Office of Investigation in Seoul since 10am.
On his way back home, Park said he faithfully dealt with police questioning, but declined to respond to questions over the reason why he offered to resign.
On Jan 3, over 200 guards of PSS and armed soldiers combined stood in the way of joint probe team's entry to the presidential residence in Seoul.
Outnumbered by Yoon's bodyguards, the probe team withdrew from Yoon's residence after five hours of standoff.
Park was accused of obstructing the execution of a court-ordered warrant then.
Before Friday, Park had refused to appear for questioning despite receiving two previous summons from the police. He rejected the police summons on Jan 4 and Jan 7. - Yonhap/ANN
