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-arrest investigative hearing (detention review hearing). Yonhap News.  

Lee Sang-min, the former Minister of the Interior and Safety, who was arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit rebellion related to the 12.3 emergency martial law, has requested a detention review hearing with the court on the 8th to contest the legality and unlawfulness of his detention and the necessity of its continuation.

The hearing is scheduled to be held at 4:10 PM on the same day at the Seoul Central District Court.

A detention review hearing is a procedure where the court reviews and judges whether the detention of a suspect during the investigative stage is lawful and whether there is a need to continue the detention.

According to the Criminal Procedure Act, the court must interrogate the suspect and conduct evidence investigation within 48 hours of receiving the request for a detention review.

Subsequently, the court will make a decision after comprehensively re-examining the detention requirements and procedural violations, as well as the necessity of confinement, such as concerns about evidence destruction or the possibility of flight.

If the court decides to release the suspect in a detention review hearing, the arrest warrant itself loses its effect.

The review is handled by a panel of judges, not the judges who typically handle arrest warrants. At the Central District Court, the appellate criminal division has been responsible for these hearings.

Former Minister Lee was arrested on the 1st on charges including engaging in important duties of rebellion, abuse of power, and perjury.

Lee's side has reportedly denied the charges even during the special prosecutor's investigation after his arrest.

The special prosecutor's team applied to the court for an extension of Lee's detention period the previous day and received approval.

Yonhap News