Presidential Security Service (South Korea) in the context of Prime Minister of South Korea

Beginning on January 3, 2025, South Korean authorities attempted to arrest Yoon Suk Yeol, president of South Korea at the time. Yoon had confined himself at his official presidential residence since his impeachment on December 14, 2024. The arrest warrant, granted on December 31 by the Seoul Western District Court, stemmed from investigations into Yoon's martial law declaration on December 3, as well as his refusal to attend any of the three summons demanded by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). On January 15, 2025, after an infiltration of his residence, Yoon handed himself over to the CIO, ending the arrest effort.

The initial and unsuccessful arrest operation on January 3 resulted in a complex security standoff at his presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan, Seoul, involving multiple security forces and lasting several hours. After roughly six hours of confrontation at Yoon's residence, the CIO suspended their operations, citing safety concerns for personnel. It was unsuccessful mainly due to resistance from the Presidential Security Service and legal objections from Yoon's defense lawyers. The arrest warrant and raid marked the first arrest of a sitting president in the nation's history.

Kim Yong-hyun (Korean: 김용현; born 25 June 1959) is a South Korean former three-star army lieutenant general and politician who served as the Minister of National Defense from 6 September 2024 until his resignation on 5 December 2024. Kim previously served in the Republic of Korea Army from 1982 until he was discharged in 2017. Kim later served as the Chief of the Presidential Security Service from 11 May 2022 until his Minister of National Defense confirmation on 6 September 2024.

During his political career, Kim was widely known for his close personal ties with President Yoon Suk Yeol, as the two have known each other since high school. Kim graduated one year ahead of Yoon shortly before entering the military. The two became close friends in 2020, following Yoon's suspension as prosecutor general. After Yoon was elected as president in 2022, Yoon appointed Kim as Presidential Security Service Chief. The two later formed a faction within the military and government consisting of their fellow high school alumni, known as the Chungam Faction.