A decision on whether to detain Pastor Jeon Kwang-hun of Sarang Jeil Church, suspected of being behind the Seoul Western District Court disturbance, could come as early as the 13th.
The Western District Court said on the 9th it will hold a pre-arrest interrogation (warrant review) for Pastor Jeon at 10:30 a.m. on the 13th. Pastor Jeon will undergo a detention review at the Western District Court, the site of the disturbance, nearly one year after the incident.
The day before, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office sought an arrest warrant for Pastor Jeon on charges including aggravated trespass into a dwelling and instigating obstruction of official duties under special circumstances.
Prosecutors say Pastor Jeon invoked religious devotion to exercise psychological control (gaslighting) and funded aides and conservative YouTubers, inciting the mob disturbance at the Western District Court on Jan. 19.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Security Investigation Division, which is currently investigating the case, also sought an arrest warrant for Shin Hye-sik, head of the YouTube channel "Shinuihansu," on the same charges, but prosecutors rejected the request.
On Nov. 18 last year, Pastor Jeon appeared at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for his first summons questioning and told reporters, "The Western District Court incident has nothing to do with us."