The special prosecutor's office is expected to summon former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min on the morning of the 4th. This will be the first summons investigation since the former minister was arrested on the 1st.
The special prosecutor's office stated through a press release that "a request for the appearance of the former minister was made for tomorrow (the 4th) at 10 a.m."
The former minister is accused of directing the Korea Fire Agency on Dec. 3 last year, under the orders of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, to implement power and water cut measures against specific media outlets including MBC, JTBC, The Hankyoreh, and Kyunghyang Shinmun.
It is reported that the special prosecutor's office has secured evidence of the circumstances under which the former minister received documents containing former President Yoon's directives, as well as the call records in which he instructed then-Fire Chief Heo Seok-gon on related matters.
The special prosecutor's office is also said to have applied charges of perjury against the former minister. It determined that the former minister made false statements when he claimed during the constitutional court impeachment trial of former President Yoon, "I have seen a piece of paper from a distance at the presidential office, but I have never accurately seen a document stating the content of the power and water cuts."
Earlier, the special prosecutor's office requested an arrest warrant for the former minister on charges including insurrection-related duties, abuse of power, and perjury at the Seoul Central District Court on the 28th of last month. As the court issued the arrest warrant on the 1st, the former minister is currently at the Seoul Detention Center.