Seoul High Prosecutors' Office Warrant Review Committee Finds Warrant Request Appropriate
"Arrest Warrants for Kim Seonghoon and Lee Kwangwoo Deemed Justified"
The Seoul High Prosecutors' Office Warrant Review Committee expressed the opinion that it is appropriate to request arrest warrants for Kim Seong-hoon, Deputy Director of the Presidential Security Service, and Lee Kwang-woo, Head of the Security Headquarters. The prosecution had previously dismissed several police requests for arrest warrants or demanded supplementary investigations, but external experts sided with the police.
According to the legal community on the 6th, the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office Warrant Review Committee held a closed meeting for about four hours from 2 p.m. that day and resolved by majority vote of the attending members that requesting arrest warrants was appropriate. The committee usually consists of 10 members including the chairperson, who does not participate in the vote. After listening to the opinions of both the prosecution and the police on the issues, the members conducted a Q&A and discussion before reaching this conclusion.
Deputy Director Kim and others are accused of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant against President Yoon Seok-yeol, making unjust personnel decisions, and ordering the deletion of records related to burner phones (special official obstruction and abuse of authority).
The police have emphasized the necessity of Deputy Director Kim's detention, arguing that the charges are sufficiently substantiated and there is a high risk of evidence destruction. On the other hand, the prosecution maintained that since President Yoon Seok-yeol has already been indicted and detained, there is no risk of reoffending in obstructing the arrest, and that the abuse of authority charges are disputable, thus non-custodial investigation is appropriate.
With the Warrant Review Committee, composed of external members such as professors and lawyers, supporting the police's judgment, the prosecution is expected to reconsider requesting arrest warrants for the two individuals. A representative of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office said, "We will respect the committee's decision and proceed with the subsequent procedures."
Meanwhile, since the establishment of the Warrant Review Committee in 2021 following the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, this is the second time out of 17 cases reviewed that the committee has sided with the police by deeming the warrant request appropriate.
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