The special counsel team investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol applied for a warrant to detain former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min on Monday, citing evidence-tampering concerns, the seriousness of the allegations and a risk of repeated offenses.
During a press briefing, assistant special prosecutor Park Ji-young said, “The special counsel filed a request for a detention warrant for the former Interior Minister Lee on suspicion of crimes including participation in insurrection, abuse of authority, obstruction of exercise of rights and perjury.”
Lee, who was summoned for a special counsel investigation on July 25, was accused of aiding and abetting Yoon's martial law imposition while violating his constitutional duty as a Cabinet member to prevent Yoon from declaring martial law on Dec. 3.
The former interior minister allegedly followed orders from then-President Yoon and instructed the National Fire Agency to cut off power and water to a list of media organizations, including Kyunghyang Shinmun, Hankyoreh, MBC, JTBC and polling agency Flower Co., on the night of the martial law declaration.
Lee is suspected of committing perjury regarding this matter during a Constitutional Court hearing in February. The former interior minister testified that he neither attempted to cut media companies' utilities nor had he received such instructions from Yoon.
The special counsel team has reportedly secured surveillance camera footage showing Lee holding a document suspected to contain instructions for cutting the power and water, while conversing with the former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
The special counsel team led by Cho Eun-suk conducted search and seizure operations at the private residence of the former interior minister, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the office of the fire agency chief on July 17.
A hearing on whether to issue the warrant for Lee is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, according to the Seoul Central District Court.
sj_lee@heraldcorp.com
