Inevitable Disruptions in Probes on State Officials and People Power Party… Considering Refiling of Han Duck-soo’s Arrest Warrant, Court Cites “Room for Legal Dispute”,
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, accused of abetting a rebellion leader and perjury, is exiting the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang City, Gyeonggi Province, on the night of the 27th after his arrest warrant was dismissed. Yonhap News,
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, ‘The arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, suspected of abetting the declaration of martial law on December 3, was dismissed by a court on the 27th. Han, the first former Prime Minister to face the possibility of arrest, was released. The failure of the special prosecutor to secure custody of Han, who is considered a key figure in clarifying the circumstances around the martial law declaration, is expected to inevitably disrupt ongoing investigations into state officials and the People Power Party.’,
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, ‘Chief Judge Jae-wook Chung of Seoul Central District Court, who presided over the pre-arrest hearing, dismissed the warrant, stating, “There is room for legal dispute regarding significant facts and the defendant’s actions.” He further commented, “Considering the evidence secured so far, the progress of the investigation, and the suspect’s current position, it is difficult to see a risk of evidence tampering that exceeds the defendant’s exercise of defense rights.” The judge added, “Taking into account the suspect’s background, age, residence and family ties, appearance in the investigation procedures, and demeanor in giving statements, there is no concern of flight.”’,
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, ‘ MobileAdNew center ‘, ‘After the hearing, Han, who had been waiting at Seoul Detention Center where former President Yoon Seok-youl was once held, promptly left for his home.’,
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, ‘Han is accused of failing to prevent and abetting the illegal declaration of martial law by former President Yoon last year as the Prime Minister, who is also the deputy head of the Cabinet. He is also suspected of drafting and destroying a post-announcement document to remedy an initial legal defect in the martial law declaration.’,
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, ‘Special prosecutors who anticipated Han’s arrest are perplexed. They find it hard to accept that Han, who oversaw figures such as former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyeon and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who have been arrested sequentially, remains not detained.’,
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, ‘The special prosecution originally planned to continue investigating other state officials after arresting Han. They began a forced investigation on the 25th, conducting a search and seizure operation against former Justice Minister Park Seong-jae and former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-Jung, among others. There is also an ongoing investigation involving Choo Kyung-ho, former floor leader of the People Power Party, who communicated with Han right after the martial law.’,
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, ‘ MobileAdNew center ‘, ‘The special prosecution is considering various measures, including refiling the arrest warrant for Han. They may focus on securing custody of Han through further investigation or redirect their investigative resources to other cases. The special team allocated significant resources to the hearing, involving Special Counsel Kim Hyung-soo, Deputy Prosecutor Kim Jeong-guk, and six other prosecutors. They presented a 325-page opinion document, a 160-page PowerPoint presentation, and CCTV footage to argue for the necessity of arrest during the four-hour session, but failed to persuade the court.’,
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, ‘The special prosecution filed for Han’s arrest on August 24, citing charges of abetting a rebellion leader, falsifying official documents, damaging public records, and perjury.’,
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, ‘Meanwhile, the special prosecution is accelerating its investigation into foreign exchange charges, having found evidence that 3 national intelligence officers made an additional visit to Mongolia, securing it shortly before the martial law in late November last year. They are probing allegations that former President Yoon and others attempted to collude with North Korea through Mongolia to justify the martial law declaration.’,
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, ‘According to joint investigations by Democratic Party lawmaker Choo Mi-ae’s office and the Seoul Shinmun, the special prosecution identified the trip to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar by three intelligence officers in late November last year. Earlier that month, two lieutenant colonels from the intelligence agency made a trip there but were reportedly arrested by local intelligence. This additional visit occurred about a week before the martial law declaration.’,
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, ‘The special prosecution suspects that the repeated dispatch of intelligence officers to the same location just before the martial law was to contact North Korean embassy officials stationed in Mongolia through local operatives. An intelligence agency official reportedly testified in the special prosecution’s inquiry recently, saying it was a “routine business trip to Mongolia.”\n’]