Member of Biden’s Secret Service Team Reportedly Arrested in South Korea For Drunken ‘Assault’ Over Taxi

Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP

A member of President Joe Biden‘s advance Secret Service team was reportedly arrested in South Korea for allegedly getting drunk and assaulting a citizen of the country.

Reuters reported the incident occurred in Seoul on Thursday, before Biden departed for a trip to the region. Few details about the incident are available.

Authorities in Seoul told Reuters an agent was arrested. According to the report, an interaction with a citizen of the country involved two Secret Service agents at the Grand Hyatt hotel.

Whatever occurred at the hotel was reportedly over taxi. Reuters described it as a drunken “assault.” Biden is staying at the Grand Hyatt on Friday night.

South Korean officials did not offer information about the agent, other than to say he was arrested.

A U.S. official said the agent accused of assault was not arrested or detained, but was investigated, as was a second agent.

Both agents will be sent home, a spokesperson for the Secret Service said.

“The Secret Service is aware of an off-duty incident involving two employees which may constitute potential policy violations,” Anthony Guglielmi told Reuters. “The individuals will be immediately returned back to their post of duty and placed on administrative leave. There was no impact to the upcoming trip.”

Biden landed in Seoul Friday for a four-day trip, where he will visit with President Yoon Suk Yeol.

He will also visit a cemetery, before he sits down with leadership at Hyundai Motor Group about the company’s decision to invest in an electric vehicle battery plant in Savannah, Georgia.

On Sunday, the President will fly to Tokyo, Japan, where he will visit with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

Biden will return to Washington Tuesday, where he is unlikely encounter two Secret Service agents rethinking their life choices, but otherwise free to engage in hijinks.