On the 19th, a man in his 40s, identified as Lee, stormed into the Seoul Western District Court, broke into the judge's office, and caused a disturbance. On the 23rd, Lee was arrested. The police, who secured the New Recruit of Jeon Kwang-hoon, pastor of the Sarang Jeil Church, are expected to begin identifying the motives behind the court assault.
Judge Lee Jun-yeop of the 12th Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Court held a pre-arrest hearing for Lee in the afternoon on charges of joint residential intrusion under the Punishment of Violent Acts Act. After the hearing, he issued a warrant, saying, "There is a risk of flight."
That day, Lee appeared in court for the warrant hearing with a stern expression, half of his face covered with a mask. When asked by reporters, "Did you receive instructions from Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon?" he remained silent.
Lee, a strongly right-wing YouTuber, is known to be a special missionary of Sarang Jeil Church.
The Seoul Southern District Court, in a ruling on a damage claim lawsuit filed last year in May by a church pastor against Lee and five other individuals affiliated with Sarang Jeil Church, specified Lee as "someone holding the special missionary position of the defendant church (Sarang Jeil Church)." It was noted that a special missionary is not one who is in charge of specific districts of the belonging church. Lee has previously been sentenced to imprisonment during the execution of a court order in 2020 when he obstructed enforcement with Molotov cocktails and iron pipes.
With Lee's detention, the investigation to uncover the motives behind the unprecedented court assault is expected to gain momentum. As of that day, a total of 59 people have been arrested in connection with the disturbance at the Western District Court, including Lee. The court had earlier issued arrest warrants for 58 individuals, including 44 accused of damaging property and causing disturbances after breaking into the Western District Court in the early morning of the 19th, and 10 others for blocking the vehicle of investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). The police have also applied for arrest warrants for an additional 66 people besides Lee.
According to materials received by Lee Man-hee from the People Power Party at the Korean National Police Agency, among these 66 individuals, those in their 30s accounted for the most significant number, with 21 (31.8%), followed by 15 in their 50s (22.8%), 9 in their 60s (13.6%), and 8 in their 20s (12.1%). One individual was in their teens.
They stated in police investigations that their occupations were self-employed (19), company employees (17), unemployed (17), and others (9). There were 3 YouTubers and 1 student.
In response, Sarang Jeil Church stated that a special missionary is not an official position within the church but merely a nominal title granted to those who have completed a Bible study course called "Puritan Theological Academy."