Jeong Seong-ho, Minister of Justice, Strongly Criticizes Yoon's Resistance to Arrest Warrant as "Worse than Gangsters"

Jeong Seong-ho, the Minister of Justice, has issued strong criticism towards former President Yoon Suk-yeol's resistance to the execution of an arrest warrant, calling it "worse than the behavior of gangsters."

An unusual situation emerged in the political arena as the Special Counsel Kim Geon-hee's team attempted to execute an arrest warrant for former President Yoon at the Seoul Detention Center.

On the 2nd, Minister Jeong posted on social media, stating, "It is hard to believe that this is the behavior of a former prosecutor, former Attorney General, and former President; it was so embarrassing and absurd that I felt ashamed to even speak about it."

He continued, "I strongly regret that, after incapacitating the arrest warrant issued by the court at the official residence in Hannam-dong last January, they have now thwarted the execution of the warrant under the identity of an ordinary citizen. Such behavior, which disregards the rule of law and undermines our national dignity, must not be tolerated."

He added, "As the Minister of Justice, I will actively consider and implement necessary strong measures to ensure that the Constitution and the rule of law operate properly. I promise to rectify any deficiencies in arrest-related regulations to ensure strict and fair law enforcement, and to prevent preferential meetings from occurring again."

Earlier, according to the Kim Geon-hee special investigation team, they attempted to execute an arrest warrant for former President Yoon at the Seoul Detention Center on the 1st but ultimately withdrew after about two hours of negotiations.

The special investigation team reported, "Considering he is a former president, we recommended that he voluntarily comply with the execution; however, the suspect was lying on the floor without wearing a prison uniform and stubbornly refused."

Minister Jeong mentioned at the previous day's National Assembly Legislative and Judiciary Committee meeting, "Former President Yoon was wearing normal short-sleeve top and bottom clothing, and when the special investigation team attempted to execute the warrant, he took off the uniform, and when the special investigation team left, he immediately put it back on."

Meanwhile, former President Yoon's side announced plans to take legal action, claiming that Minister Jeong distorted the situation regarding the execution of the arrest warrant in his National Assembly remarks and social media posts.

Image source: Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho delivering a speech at the appointment ceremony for new prosecutors for the second half of 2025 at the Ministry of Justice in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on August 1, 2025. / News1, Former President Yoon Suk-yeol / News1