A South Korean court has denied a bid by prosecutors to force aides of impeached President Park Geun-hye to comply with a search on the presidential compound.
The decision by the Seoul Administrative Court on Thursday was an apparent setback for the special prosecution team that must conclude its inquiry into Park's corruption allegations by the end of the month.
The prosecutors filed the lawsuit last week after Park's aides blocked them from searching the presidential Blue House although they had a search warrant.
The court said the matter cannot be determined through an administrative lawsuit because Park's aides blocked the search based on criminal litigation laws that allow sites containing state secrets to do so.