On August 8, former Minister of the Interior and Safety, Lee Sang-min, who faces allegations related to directives for cutting water and electricity to media firms during the December 3 martial law, appeared at the Seoul Central District Court for a pretrial detention hearing. Lee, arrested on charges of engaging in important duties during a rebellion, has requested a review of the legality of his arrest. His legal action comes amidst a flurry of detentions of key figures like former President Yoon Seok-youl as the special investigation into the case advances.
The Seoul Central District Court’s 8-1 Criminal Division plans to hold a hearing on Lee’s detention review at 4:10 PM. This process allows a detained suspect to challenge the validity of their arrest in court. The court is required to review the case within 48 hours of receiving the application for detention review. Should the arrest be deemed unjust, the suspect can be released. Another bench, not the original judge who issued the arrest warrant, reviews such cases, and decisions are made by the court’s panel.
Judge Jeong Jae-wook, in charge of arrest warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, issued an arrest warrant for Lee on August 1, citing substantial reason to believe he committed a crime and concern over potential evidence tampering. Lee faces charges including engaging in important duties during a rebellion, abuse of authority, and perjury.
The special investigation team, led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-seok, focusing on rebellion and foreign offenses related to the December 3 martial law, charged Lee with failing to prevent the declaration of martial law, instructing power and water cuts to media companies after its imposition, and giving false testimony during the impeachment trial of former President Yoon. Key evidence reportedly came from CCTV footage capturing the cabinet meeting on the day of the ‘December 3 illegal martial law.’
On the same day at 2:20 PM, another hearing is scheduled for the detention review of Lee Jong-ho, former CEO of Black Pearl Investment, held by the special investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki. Lee Jong-ho is accused of breaching the Attorney-at-Law Act by allegedly receiving over 80 million won from Lee Jung-pil, the main figure in the first Deutsche Motors stock manipulation, in exchange for promising a suspended sentence instead of imprisonment.
Meanwhile, former President Yoon Seok-youl’s previous application for a detention review, submitted on July 18, was dismissed. Yoon was detained on July 10 on charges including obstructing the execution of warrants by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and falsifying documents related to martial law declaration. Yoon’s side argued that the charges duplicated ongoing rebellion charges, but the court did not accept this argument.