President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that he decided to appear for questioning at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials(CIO) headquarters to prevent bloodshed, but maintained that the investigation is illegal.

The president made the remarks in a recorded statement Wednesday morning, when the CIO and the police executed a warrant for his arrest.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)]
“My sincere gratitude for your support and encouragement. Regrettably, the rule of law in this country has broken down completely. Arrest warrants are being issued to agencies without investigative authority, courts without jurisdiction are reviewing warrants and issuing search and arrest warrants, and investigative authorities are deceiving the public with falsified official documents. Witnessing such illegal actions and how they proceeded with an invalid warrant is deeply deplorable.”

Yoon said that as the president, who must protect the country’s Constitution and its legal system, he was complying with procedures he called illegal and invalid, not because he acknowledged their legitimacy but to prevent bloodshed.

The president then said that unfortunately, the rule of law has broken down in this country.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)]
“I have agreed to appear before the CIO, despite the investigation being illegal, to prevent bloodshed. Today I have witnessed even the mobilization of firefighting equipment to force entry to a restricted special security zone. However, this does not mean that I acknowledge the legitimacy of the investigation. As the president, whose duty is to protect the nation’s Constitution and its legal system, my compliance with illegal and invalid procedures does not mean I agree with the investigation but is solely an effort to prevent violence.”
 
This marks Yoon’s first public appearance since he released a televised statement to the nation on December 14, when the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach him.

The CIO said it executed the arrest warrant for Yoon at 10:33 a.m.