(Yonhap)
(Yonhap)

Lee Kwang-woo, one of the key members of the Presidential Security Service that stopped President Yoon Suk Yeol's arrest on Jan. 3, once again refused to comply with orders to appear for questioning, as police plan to request that the court issue an arrest warrant for one of the hard-liners in the presidential security team.

The head of the Presidential Security Service bodyguard division failed to show up at the National Office of Investigation for the third time Monday morning, regarding his ongoing investigation on obstruction of the performance of official duties.

Park Jong-jun, who had been the head of Yoon's security team at the time of the attempted arrest on Jan. 3, and PSS' head of security and safety division, Lee Jin-ha, were both grilled by police Saturday.

The agency's second-in-command, Kim Seong-hoon, and the PSS' head of family security, Kim Shin, had also both been summoned for questioning, with the deputy leader of the PSS snubbing the summons for the third time Saturday. Both Kims are considered to be part of a hard-line faction within the PSS.

Police have reportedly requested an arrest warrant for Kim Seong-hoon, while Kim Shin is slated to appear for questioning Tuesday.

Yoon is under criminal investigation on charges of insurrection and abuse of power, while he will also be on trial with the Constitutional Court for his impeachment on similar charges. The joint investigative team headed by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Official attempted to arrest Yoon at his official residence earlier this month, but their attempts were blocked by the PSS and the military troops under its command.

The CIO, which later had Yoon's arrest warrant extended by the court, is expected to make another attempt to execute the arrest warrant this week. It sent notices to the PSS and the Ministry of National Defense on Sunday to cooperate with Yoon's arrest.

The embattled president said Monday, via legal representatives, that the police arresting him should reveal their face and show their identities while they do so.

Yun Gap-geun, the president's defense attorney, reiterated Yoon's position that the arrest warrant is unlawful, and said the identification is "necessary to stop rioters from entering a secure facility (the presidential residence) while posing as police officers."

It was reported Sunday that Yoon's legal team had suggested that the CIO should postpone Yoon's arrest until after the Constitutional Court has reached a verdict on Yoon's ongoing impeachment trial.