Police: Biden security team member arrested in S. Korea for drunk assault

SEOUL (Reuters) - A member of President Biden's advance security team has been arrested in Seoul, accused of drunkenly assaulting a South Korean citizen a day before Biden arrived on a visit, police said on Friday.

The team member, who works for the Department of Homeland Security, was detained in the early hours of Thursday after getting into a fight over a taxi, an official at Yongsan district police told Reuters.

The incident occurred outside the Grand Hyatt hotel, where Biden is expected to stay.

The police official did not give the name or other information on the suspect.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House referred questions to the Secret Service, which did not immediately respond.

The Homeland Security department includes the Secret Service, the agency that guards the president. Secret Service members have periodically been involved in incidents over misbehavior overseas in the past.

Biden arrived in Seoul on Friday evening local time, with South Korea the first stop on his first trip to Asia as president.

TV Chosun, a South Korean broadcaster that first reported the incident, said the suspect was in his 30s and was arrested after a fellow guest at the hotel called police.