Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 31st, for a pre-detention questioning (warrant review). Yonhap NewsA detention warrant has been issued for former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who is suspected of "conspiring to commit rebellion" in connection with the martial law declaration of December 12.

On the 1st, Seoul Central District Court Chief Judge Jeong Jae-wook issued the warrant after conducting a pre-detention questioning (warrant review) for the former minister, stating, "There is a risk of evidence destruction."

This marks the second minister in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to be arrested in connection with the martial law incident, following former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyeon.

Previously, on the 28th of last month, the special prosecution team for rebellion, led by Jo Eun-seok, had requested a detention warrant for the former minister on charges including engaging in important rebel duties, abuse of power, and perjury.

The special prosecution team believes that the former minister, despite being the minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the ministry responsible for peacetime martial law, failed to prevent an illegal declaration of martial law and effectively condoned it.

Furthermore, they contend that he engaged in "acts of subverting the constitution" by infringing upon freedom of the press and the people's right to life and safety, such as ordering the police and fire departments to cut off power and water to media outlets. They believe this constitutes sequential participation in former President Yoon's rebellion crimes.

Accordingly, the special prosecution team applied the charge of "engaging in important rebel duties," deeming the former minister's actions as directing rebellion-related activities or engaging in other important duties.

Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 31st, for a pre-detention questioning (warrant review). Yonhap News

The special prosecution team also included the charge of abuse of power in the warrant, stating that as the Minister of the Interior and Safety, he abused his official authority to order the heads of external agencies, such as the Fire Service, to cut off power and water, which was not an obligation. They believe these instructions were relayed through Fire Commissioner Heo Seok-gon to fire stations.

Based on this, the special prosecution team concluded that former President Yoon, former Minister Lee, and former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyeon were "co-conspirators" who led the rebellion.

Former Minister Lee is also accused of perjury before the Constitutional Court. He testified on February 11th during the impeachment trial defense for former President Yoon that he had never attempted to cut off electricity or water and had not received related instructions from the president.

However, the special prosecution team argued that his testimony was false, presenting evidence such as CCTV footage from the Presidential Office showing him discussing documents suspected of including orders to cut off power and water with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 31st, for a pre-detention questioning (warrant review). Yonhap News 

Former Minister Lee's side has fully denied the charges. They claim that he never received related instructions such as cutting off power and water from former President Yoon, nor did he issue such instructions to the Fire Service.

They also argued that the charge of abuse of power itself is invalid because the Minister of the Interior and Safety does not have the specific authority to direct the Fire Commissioner.

The special prosecution team waged a "total war" by presenting 160 PowerPoint slides and over 300 pages of legal opinions to refute the claims of former Minister Lee's side and argue for the necessity of his detention and investigation.

The court reviewed the arguments from both sides and issued the detention warrant. The special prosecution team announced the reason for the warrant issuance as "there is a considerable reason to believe that a crime was committed and there is a risk of evidence destruction."

With the special prosecution team securing the former minister, investigations into other ministers, including former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is also suspected of conspiring to commit rebellion, are expected to gain momentum.

Yonhap News