CEO Jeon Han-gil in handcuffs.

A detention warrant for Jeon Han-gil, CEO of 'Jeon Han-gil TV', has been rejected. 

On the 16th, Judge Kim Jin-man, presiding over detention warrant hearings at the Seoul Central District Court, stated, "It is difficult to consider there is a risk of evidence destruction or flight," and rejected the detention warrant sought by the prosecution after conducting a suspect interrogation prior to detention for CEO Jeon.

CEO Jeon, who was waiting in the detention center at the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul, will be released following the rejection of the warrant.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Criminal Mobile Division investigated CEO Jeon three times since last month, and concluded that charges of defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act and violation of the basic telecommunications law were recognized, and applied for a detention warrant. 

The prosecution also attended the warrant hearing on the same day and emphasized the necessity of detention, stating the case was serious and there was a risk of reoffending, but the court did not accept this.

CEO Jeon stated, "I merely cited allegations reported by American media," and presented his stance as a 'political retaliation investigation'.

After the hearing, CEO Jeon's legal team protested the use of handcuffs on CEO Jeon, saying, "Handcuffing someone who has not yet been decided for detention is an act of public power to psychologically intimidate and stigmatize CEO Jeon." They added, "There is also a Supreme Court precedent that handcuffing someone who has voluntarily and arbitrarily attended a warrant hearing constitutes an infringement of personal rights," causing the escort to the detention center to be delayed for about two hours.

By Reporter Im Yo-hee