Court: "No Grounds for Petition"
Detention Extension Approved the Previous Day
Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sangmin, who was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit insurrection related to martial law, filed for a writ of habeas corpus, but the court rejected his request. As a result, the Special Prosecutor's Office for Insurrection (led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eunseok) will be able to continue its investigation while keeping Lee in custody.
Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sangmin, who is accused of power and water outages, perjury, and engaging in important duties related to insurrection, is appearing before the Special Prosecutor's Office for Insurrection in Seocho-dong, Seoul on the 25th. 2025.7.25 Photo by Jo Yongjun
The Criminal Appellate Division 8-1 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Cha Seunghwan, Ryu Changseong, Choi Haeil, and Choi Jinsook) held a habeas corpus hearing for Lee starting at 4:10 p.m. on the 8th, which lasted about one hour and forty minutes, and ultimately dismissed his request.
Previously, the special prosecutor's team secured custody of Lee in connection with suspicions of abetting martial law. On the 1st, Judge Jeong Jaeuk of the Seoul Central District Court, who is in charge of warrants, issued an arrest warrant for Lee on charges including engaging in important duties related to insurrection, abuse of authority, and perjury, citing concerns that he might destroy evidence.
Lee is accused, as the minister in charge of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which is responsible for martial law during peacetime, of failing to prevent and abetting the illegal declaration of martial law. He is also suspected of engaging in acts that undermine the constitutional order, including relaying instructions to the National Police Agency and the National Fire Agency to cut off power and water to media companies, thereby infringing on press freedom and the rights to life and safety of citizens. In addition, he is accused of sequentially participating in former President Yoon's insurrection crimes through these actions.
Lee is also facing charges of perjury before the Constitutional Court. During the impeachment trial of former President Yoon in February, he testified that he had never attempted to cut off electricity or water and had never received such instructions from the president. However, the special prosecutor's team believes all of this testimony was false.
At the habeas corpus hearing held that day, Special Prosecutor Lee Yoonje and Chief Prosecutor Koo Won attended on behalf of the prosecution, while Attorney Lee Seungjik and others were present for Lee.
The special prosecutor's team reportedly prepared an 85-slide presentation (PPT) and submitted a 110-page written opinion to the court. The team is believed to have emphasized that the criminal charges were already substantiated by the issuance of the arrest warrant and that there had been no significant change in circumstances since the warrant was issued.
In contrast, Lee is believed to have argued that the charges were not substantiated and that there was no risk of evidence destruction or flight. Lee himself reportedly attended the hearing and expressed his position directly. After the hearing, Lee's legal team told reporters that their statements were "the same as what has already been made public" when asked about the nature of their remarks.
The special prosecutor's team applied for and received court approval to extend Lee's detention the previous day. Although the extended detention period was originally set to expire on the 19th, it is expected to be further lengthened due to the habeas corpus petition.
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