Jeon Han-gil, a conservative YouTuber accused of defaming President Lee Jae-myung and Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok, appeared before prosecutors on the 13th for questioning ahead of a request for an arrest warrant. His legal name is Jeon Yu-gwan.
The Human Rights Protection Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office summoned Jeon for questioning at 3 p.m. Even if police seek an arrest warrant, prosecutors may interview and question a suspect and counsel if they determine there is a need to directly assess grounds for detention.
Before entering, Jeon told supporters in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office that his investigation was "political retaliation." He said, "These unreasonable complaints and accusations against Jeon Han-gil are political retaliation," and "The arrest of Jeon Han-gil points to the end of the Lee Jae-myung administration." He added, "If you can handle it, go ahead and try to arrest me." He also said detention was unwarranted because there was no risk of flight or evidence destruction.
At the same spot, Jeon went on with political remarks unrelated to the investigation. He said, "President Trump arrests Venezuela's Maduro, kills Iran's Khamenei, so who's next?" and added, "I don't know if it will be Lee Jae-myung or Kim Jong-un, but is there anything wrong with asking for an investigation into the alleged election fraud?" He also said, "For the 2030 generation, there are four politicians who are public enemies. The criminal Lee Jae-myung, the criminal Cho Kuk, the fugitive Lee Jun-seok, and the betrayer Han Dong-hoon—these four must disappear from politics." About 70 of Jeon's supporters gathered at the scene.
Jeon has claimed on YouTube and elsewhere that the president has a child out of wedlock and that he hid slush funds from the Daejang-dong project overseas while preparing to defect to China. He is also accused of saying that Lee Jun-seok was elected in the 2024 general election by illicit means and that he was admitted to Harvard as a "Roh Moo-hyun scholarship student."
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Major Crime Investigation Unit sought an arrest warrant for Jeon on the 10th on charges including defamation by alleging false facts under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. Jeon was also recently accused by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of defamation by alleging false facts and obstruction of business after claiming that crude oil from the Ulsan Strategic Petroleum Reserve was leaked to North Korea.