The detention review for former Chairwoman of the Korea Communications Commission Lee Jin-sook, who was arrested by the police, has begun.
Former Chairwoman of the Korea Communications Commission Lee Jinsuk is holding hands with People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyunjin as she appears at the Seoul Southern District Court on the afternoon of the 4th for a detention review. Photo by Yonhap News
The Seoul Southern District Court began the detention review for former Chairwoman Lee at 3 p.m. on the 4th, presided over by a duty judge.
Arriving at the court in a police transport vehicle at around 2:45 p.m., former Chairwoman Lee stated, "What has been arrested and detained along with me is the liberal democracy of the Republic of Korea. Is this the nation of popular sovereignty that President Lee Jaemyung spoke of? There was neither the people nor sovereignty when I was arrested and detained." She continued, "I believe the judiciary, somewhere in the Republic of Korea, will prove that liberal democracy is still alive," before entering the courtroom.
The detention review is a system that allows a person to request the court to consider their release if they believe their arrest by investigative authorities is unjust. The court reviews whether the arrest was lawful and whether continued detention is necessary, and if it finds the arrest unlawful or unjust, the person is released.
Former Chairwoman Lee, who is under police investigation for violations of the National Public Service Act and the Public Official Election Act, was arrested by the police near her residence at around 4 p.m. on the 2nd. She had failed to comply with six summonses without a valid reason, and the police cited concerns that she might continue to ignore future summonses.
Former Chairwoman Lee claims that the police had agreed on September 27 as the date for her appearance, yet repeatedly sent her meaningless summonses demanding she appear before that date. She also submitted a statement of non-attendance for the 27th, citing her inability to attend due to the National Assembly filibuster (unlimited debate) schedule, and argues that her arrest was therefore unjust.
If her request is denied, her detention will be maintained for approximately another 20 hours. The time from when investigative documents and evidence are submitted to the court for the hearing until the materials are returned after the hearing is excluded from the calculation of the detention period.
On the other hand, if her request is granted, former Chairwoman Lee will be released.
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