Special Prosecutor: "Suspected of Participation in Major Duties Related to Insurrection and Perjury"
Allegations of Ordering "Power and Water Cutoff" to a Specific Media Company
Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sangmin, who is accused of power outage and water cut-off at media companies, perjury, and engaging in important duties related to insurrection, remained silent in response to reporters' questions as he appeared before the Special Prosecutor's Office for Insurrection in Seocho-dong, Seoul on the 25th.
The Special Prosecutor's Office for Insurrection (Special Prosecutor Cho Eunseok) requested an arrest warrant for former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sangmin on July 28.
Special Prosecutor Park Jiyoung stated in a briefing that day, "We have requested an arrest warrant for the former minister on charges of participating in major duties related to insurrection, abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, and perjury," adding, "We considered the seriousness of the crimes, the risk of evidence destruction, and the possibility of reoffending."
Lee Sangmin is accused of receiving orders from former President Yoon Sukyeol around the time of the 12·3 Martial Law Declaration to cut off electricity and water supply to a specific media company, and subsequently calling Fire Commissioner Heo Seokgon to instruct, "If the police request cooperation for cutting electricity or water, take action accordingly."
The special prosecutor's team is reviewing whether Lee Sangmin can be considered an "accomplice" who aided former President Yoon Sukyeol in declaring martial law. However, Lee Sangmin maintains that he never attempted to cut off electricity or water and never received such instructions from former President Yoon Sukyeol.
The special prosecutor's team has reportedly determined that Lee Sangmin's actions constitute active "collusion" in the act of insurrection, specifically the illegal declaration of martial law, and has applied the charge of participating in major duties related to insurrection.
Additionally, Lee Sangmin is accused of giving false testimony during the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial. On February 11, Lee testified in the impeachment trial of former President Yoon Sukyeol, stating that he had never received instructions from Yoon to cut off electricity or water.
However, the special prosecutor's team has secured CCTV footage from the presidential office showing Lee Sangmin holding a document suspected to contain orders to cut off electricity and water, and conversing with former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo.
Previously, on July 17, the special prosecutor's team launched a full-scale investigation by conducting searches and seizures at Lee Sangmin's residence, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the Fire Commissioner's office. Subsequently, on July 25, Lee Sangmin was summoned as a suspect and questioned for approximately 18 hours. It has been reported that Lee denied most of the allegations during the investigation.
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