A court on the 21st rejected an arrest warrant for former Korea TV (KTV) head Lee Eun-woo, who is suspected of promoting the Dec. 3 insurrection. It was the first arrest warrant sought by the second integrated special counsel since its launch in February to be rejected by the court a month later.
Lee Jong-rok, a Director General-level judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, said the court rejected the special counsel's request for an arrest warrant for the former chief on suspicion of promoting insurrection. He reached the decision after hearing from the special counsel and the former chief from about 10 a.m. for roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes at a pre-arrest suspect questioning (substantive warrant review) session.
The former chief is suspected of repeatedly broadcasting news asserting the legitimacy of martial law and blocking news that criticized it after former President Yoon Suk-yeol declared emergency martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.
Earlier, the special counsel team led by Cho Eun-suk, investigating the insurrection case, determined that the acts did not constitute promotion of insurrection as a matter of law and indicted the former chief without detention only on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of another's rights. However, after reexamining the case, the integrated special counsel concluded the promotion-of-insurrection charge could also be recognized, conducted a supplementary investigation, and on the 18th requested an arrest warrant for the former chief from the court.
The court found that an arrest investigation of the former chief was not necessary. Special counsel deputies Kwon Young-bin and Kim Jeong-min personally appeared at the substantive warrant review and argued that additional arrest-based investigation of the former chief was necessary. The court's decision was based on the view that, given the former chief has continually stood trial on the abuse-of-power charge, there was no risk of flight, among other factors.