Yoon Suk Yeol to receive state protection for up to 10 years as ex-president
The Presidential Security Act states in the Article 4-3 that a president and his or her spouse shall be protected by the presidential bodyguards for 10 years after their term is concluded. If the president steps down from office before the end of their term -- such as via death or removal as in Yoon's case -- the protection period is shortened to five years.
This means Yoon will basically be guarded by the PSS until 2030, but a subclause of Article 4-6 of the same act states that a president could be guarded for up to five more years than the period set in Article 4-3.
The protection provided by the PSS includes conventional protection along with patrol of the areas surrounding Yoon's home in cooperation with local police forces. Officials could also protect the former first couple during transportation via land and air if necessary, upon their request.
Ex-President Park Geun-hye, the only other president in the country's history removed from power via impeachment, is to slated to be protected by the presidential bodyguards until March 2027.
Yoon, who was inaugurated as president in May 2022, was removed from office Friday after the Constitutional Court decided to uphold his impeachment by the parliament, effective immediately. The opposition-led National Assembly passed the motion for his impeachment in December, holding him accountable for insurrection and abuse of power for his orders related to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Ex-PM's house raided over suspected role in Yoon's martial law decree
A special counsel team on Thursday carried out a search and seizure operation at the residence of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, accused of involvement in impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt to impose martial law. The team led by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, formed to investigate the Dec. 3 martial law debacle, sent investigators to raid Han's residence in Seoul's central Jongno-gu district in the morning. Han is accused of adding his signature to the martial law decree, drafted by then-presidential secretary Kang Eui-gu, after martial law had already been declared to add legitimacy to the former president's actions. The special counsel claimed that Han then ordered the destruction of the document, which was allegedly hastily drafted after Yoon's surprise declaration. Han allegedly had the document destroyed to avoid 'additional controversy' if it were discovered that the document was drafted after the declaration. Article 82 of the Constitution states that 'acts of the President under law shall be executed in writing, and such documents shall be countersigned by the Prime Minister and the members of the State Council concerned.' It adds 'the same shall apply to military affairs.' Han is also accused of lying in his testimony to the Constitutional Court and the National Assembly about his prior knowledge of Yoon's martial law decree. Han said that he was unaware of the existence of Yoon's martial law declaration -- the version announced in Yoon's address to the nation -- until after the decree was lifted. He said he only discovered a copy in his pocket later and that he openly opposed Yoon's plans to impose martial law at the time. In contrast to Han's claims, the special counsel team secured surveillance footage showing Han leaving the Cabinet meeting room at the presidential office, after Yoon presided over a legally irregular Cabinet meeting, with copies of the decree. The raid came 22 days after Han was summoned and questioned by the special counsel team on July 2. The special counsel plans to analyze the seized documents and files before deciding whether to summon Han again.
Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Baby born alive, then frozen: YouTuber, doctors indicted for murder in 36-week abortion case
A South Korean YouTuber who posted a video detailing what she said was an abortion at 36 weeks of pregnancy, and the doctors who performed it, have been indicted for murder. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Thursday that they have indicted three on murder charges in connection with the death of the baby: A hospital director surnamed Yoon, a surgeon surnamed Shim and the YouTuber surnamed Kwon. Two brokers who introduced patients to the hospital were charged with violating the Medical Service Act. According to the prosecutors, the baby was allegedly born alive through a C-section and later placed in a freezer. "We will do our utmost to ensure that all profits obtained through this crime are fully confiscated, to send a strong message against such inhumane acts driven by financial gain and a disregard for life," the prosecutors said in a statement. The case came to public attention in June last year when Kwon uploaded the video saying she had received an abortion at 36 weeks, considered full-term under medical guidelines. Police found that the still alive when it was removed, and the hospital director and surgeon then allegedly placed the newborn under a surgical drape and put it into a freezer, where it died. Prosecutors said hospital staff attempted to conceal the incident by falsifying Kwon's medical records. They recorded symptoms such as abdominal pain and bleeding to make it look like a stillbirth. A false diagnosis was also issued. The investigation also uncovered a wider illegal abortion scheme. From August 2022 to July 2023, the hospital allegedly performed over 500 illegal abortions arranged through brokers, earning nearly 1.5 billion won ($1.09 million) in total. Abortion remains in a legal gray area in South Korea. In April 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled the country's criminalization of all abortions unconstitutional. However, the National Assembly has yet to enact a new law governing abortions to legalize it.
Korea Herald
6 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Ex-President Yoon skips insurrection trial for 3rd straight week
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol did not attend his insurrection trial for the third consecutive week Thursday, again citing poor health. The 10th hearing of the trial opened at the Seoul Central District Court without the appearance of Yoon, who is currently under arrest at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, just south of the capital. "Since he has not appeared consecutively, we will begin investigation proceedings in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code and criminal procedure rules," the court said. "We will verify with the detention center whether he is in fact in poor health and whether it is possible to bring him in." Yoon is standing trial on charges of leading an insurrection and abusing his power through his failed bid to impose martial law in December. The hearing proceeded as an extraordinary session to question witnesses for the case. The prosecution protested Yoon had attended all nine hearings prior to his second arrest earlier this month without complaining about his health and even attended a separate court hearing last week that reviewed the legality of his arrest. "Following absences from the two previous hearings, he has again failed to appear without legitimate grounds," they said. "We ask the court to issue a warrant to bring him in as he has failed to appear three consecutive times in disregard of his duty as a defendant to attend." Yoon's lawyers claimed his absence was also partly due to questions about the legality of special counsel Cho Eun-suk taking over the prosecution's indictments against the former president. On Saturday, special counsel Cho's team separately indicted him on abuse of power charges related to his alleged violation of the rights of Cabinet members and other offenses. The indictments came days after Yoon was placed in custody a second time over the martial law attempt. (Yonhap)
