CIO approached within 200m of presidential residence

[Anchor]

Today (1.3), the execution of the arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol resembled siege warfare.

The investigation team from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials(CIO) had to break through the multiple barriers set up by the Presidential Security Service and engage in physical confrontations.

However, they were ultimately blocked by a human barricade just 200 meters from the residence and had to turn back from there.

We continuing with reporter Lee Ye-rin.

[Report]

Upon arriving at the entrance of the residence, the CIO's investigation team first encountered a firmly closed iron gate.

After waiting for over 40 minutes, the gate finally opened, but the bus blocking the entrance remained in place.

About ten minutes later, dozens of staff members from the Presidential Security Service came down from the residence and blocked behind the bus, and Deputy Chief Kim Sung-hoon appeared.

Deputy Chief Kim stated, "The Security Service only provides protection according to the Security Act," and added, "It is difficult to make a judgment regarding the warrant," while holding his ground.

After a standoff, they managed to pass through the large bus and headed towards the residence, but were blocked again by another bus before they could go even 100 meters.

They walked along a mountain path instead of the road to overcome this barrier and approached within 200 meters of the residence, but that was as far as they could go.

A wall of vehicles made up of about ten buses and cars was waiting for them.

Behind the wall of vehicles, over 200 personnel from the Security Service and security units were lined up to control access.

The CIO explained that with only about 100 personnel, which was half the size of the presidential security team, they could not break through the barricade.

During the execution of the arrest warrant, there were also several physical confrontations between the investigation team and the security personnel.

Later, with mutual agreement, three prosecutors from the CIO entered the residence to meet with Kim Hong-il and Yoon Kap-kgeun, lawyers for President Yoon Suk Yeol, but they claimed that the arrest warrant was illegal and refused to comply with the execution.

This is KBS News, Lee Ye-rin.