President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment has inadvertently triggered an unprecedented clash between South Korea’s investigative agencies. Both the prosecution service and a recently formed joint investigation team have issued competing summons for the president, highlighting a growing institutional rivalry that threatens to derail the case.

This jurisdictional conflict has evolved into a practical quagmire, with evidence and suspects divided among agencies and no clear central authority to coordinate efforts. The dysfunction risks not only compromising the investigation but also exposing systemic flaws in South Korea’s reformed criminal justice system.

PARALLEL INVESTIGATIONS SPUR CONFUSION

Two competing investigative tracks have emerged since Yoon’s