South Korea: Police seize ex-President Yoon's phones for first time since martial law bid

Seoul, May 23 (IANS) South Korean Police said on Friday that they have seized cellphones of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and the phone server records of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) for the first time since Yoon's short-lived martial law bid in December.

The police's special investigation unit said it confiscated a secure phone and a work phone used by Yoon and received records from a server used by the PSS as part of its investigation into allegations that the former president, former PSS chief Park Chong-jun, and PSS Deputy Chief Kim Seong-hoon blocked investigators from executing a detention warrant against Yoon in January.

The police and the PSS earlier conducted a three-week joint forensic analysis of the server and restored most of its records. The PSS voluntarily submitted the material to the police upon its own selection, Yonhap news agency reported.

The server reportedly contains call records and texts between Yoon and PSS deputy chief Kim and other PSS officials.

Earlier on May 21, South Korea's Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung hit out at former President Yoon Suk Yeol for attending the screening of a documentary film on alleged election fraud.

Yoon, who was ousted over his failed martial law bid and is standing criminal trial on insurrection charges, has claimed that allegations of election fraud were one of the reasons why he declared the martial law decree.

Yoon, who left the conservative People Power Party (PPP) last week, made his first public appearance since his ouster on April 4, excluding his appearances at the insurrection trial, with the presidential election less than two weeks away.

"Did he not win his own election through that system?" Lee told reporters during a campaign rally in Incheon, questioning the logic behind claiming election fraud.

"If he claims the system was flawed, what does that say about his own victory?" Lee added.

--IANS

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