Lee Sang-min, former Minister of the Interior and Safety, was arrested over allegations that he ordered power and water cuts to certain media outlets on the day of the emergency martial law on Dec. 3. He is the first cabinet member to have an arrest warrant issued by the special investigation team. Previously, former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun was arrested by the prosecution's emergency martial law special investigation team on charges of being involved in important duties related to insurrection.
Director General Jeong Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court conducted a pre-arrest interrogation of former Minister Lee, who is under investigation for important duties related to insurrection, and issued the arrest warrant, stating, "There is a concern that evidence may be destroyed."
The insurrection special investigation team filed an arrest warrant against former Minister Lee on charges of being involved in important duties related to insurrection, abuse of power, and perjury. Former Minister Lee is accused of having directed the Korea National Fire Agency to cut power and water to certain media outlets, including MBC, JTBC, Hankyoreh, and Kyunghyang Shinmun, at the instruction of former President Yoon Suk-yeol on Dec. 3 last year.
The special investigation team also applied perjury charges against former Minister Lee. They deemed his statement during the Constitutional Court impeachment trial of former President Yoon, in which he said, "I have seen a paper note from a distance in the presidential office but have never seen a document with details about the power and water cuts," to be false.
Former Minister Lee's side has completely denied the allegations. They claim that he never received any instructions regarding power and water cuts from former President Yoon and did not issue such directives to the Korea National Fire Agency.
With the special investigation team securing the custody of former Minister Lee, investigations into other cabinet members, including former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is suspected of being an accomplice in the insurrection, are expected to accelerate.
Separately, the Kim Keon-hee special investigation team plans to execute an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Seoul Detention Center at 9 a.m. on the 1st.