Tension Soars in South Korea’s Presidential Security: Arming Guards with Heavy Weapons After Resignation

According to an MBC report on Sunday, the executive meeting, chaired by Deputy Director Kim Seong Hoon, the Presidential Security Service acting director, and held on Friday after former Director Park Jong Joon resigned, covered heavy weapons and handguns.

A security officer who participated in the first arrest warrant execution for President Yoon Suk Yeol told MBC that during a meeting of deputy and section chiefs on the day of Park’s resignation, they discussed arming personnel with heavy weapons.

The security guard usually carries a handgun. The proposal was to arm them with a weapon higher than a submachine gun in preparation for the second arrest warrant execution.

This officer stated that some security personnel are already equipped with heavy weapons and warned that among the hardliners, there are individuals who might use them. He also mentioned that orders were given for security personnel on guard duty to display their firearms visibly. The officer claims that although Park urged the incoming leadership to prevent bloodshed and protect staff upon his resignation, these directives were wholly reversed after Kim took over.

Kim Seong Hoon and Lee Kwang Woo are considered hardliners. They are associated with the so-called “Kim Keon Hee line.” According to the reporting officer, they share an extreme right-wing ideology and genuinely believe in it, which leads to their aggressive stance.

However, internal unrest is deepening as frontline security guards gradually become exhausted, and their justification weakens. Some officers suggest that they should only form a human barrier and refrain from further action, even discussing a full staff boycott or taking annual leave to avoid participating in the arrest warrant execution.

Additionally, it has been reported that some security service members are calling for Deputy Director Kim Seong Hoon’s arrest. One officer conveyed this internal sentiment, stating that even if an arrest warrant were issued for Kim, the security staff would not try to prevent it.

The Presidential Security Service stated that it could not confirm whether discussions about arming personnel with heavy weapons took place.