Prosecution Clears CIO of 'Yoon Arrest Warrant Concealment Allegations'... "No Application Filed with Central District Court"

"No application for arrest warrant at the Seoul Central District Court"


False statements to the National Assembly also dismissed as "input error"

The prosecution has concluded with a decision of non-indictment regarding the allegations that the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) concealed an arrest warrant during the investigation into former President Yoon Suk-yeol. The prosecution also dismissed suspicions of false statements to the National Assembly and rejected complaints and accusations concerning the CIO's authority to investigate insurrection charges.

On the 9th, the flag of South Korea and the prosecution flag fluttered in the wind in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office building, while former Special Warfare Commander Joonggeun Kwak was being summoned and investigated by the Special Investigation Headquarters for emergency martial law of the prosecution. Photo by Hyunghan Heo

The Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (headed by Chief Prosecutor Shin Douk) announced on June 23, 2026, that it has decided not to indict the CIO in the complaints and accusations raised during the investigation into former President Yoon's alleged insurrection.

The prosecution had been investigating suspicions that the CIO applied for an arrest warrant for former President Yoon at the Seoul Central District Court, and after it was dismissed, reapplied at the Seoul Western District Court while concealing the previous attempt. After reviewing related records through searches and seizures at the CIO, the prosecution found that the CIO never applied for an arrest warrant at the Seoul Central District Court and that the first and only application was made at the Seoul Western District Court.

It was also confirmed that, among other warrants filed at the Seoul Central District Court, there were no warrants omitted from the records. The prosecution concluded that there was no evidence to support charges such as concealment of official documents and thus issued a non-indictment decision.

The suspicion that the CIO submitted false answers to the National Assembly was also dismissed. Through questioning of the personnel responsible for drafting the responses and reviewing related materials, the prosecution confirmed that an internal response was prepared stating, "There has never been an application for an arrest warrant for former President Yoon at the Seoul Central District Court."

However, it was found that the responsible official mistakenly entered "warrant" instead of "arrest warrant" during the process of inputting the response. The prosecution also confirmed that, after the error was discovered, a CIO official called the parliamentary office to explain the mistake. The prosecution determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove intent to forge official documents by the CIO chief or others.

The complaints and accusations alleging that the CIO applied for, obtained, and executed an arrest warrant for former President Yoon despite lacking authority to investigate insurrection charges were rejected. The prosecution explained, "The court recognized the CIO's authority to investigate insurrection in the case concerning obstruction of official duties by former President Yoon, and accordingly deemed the application, issuance, and execution of the arrest warrant to be lawful."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.