'Media Company Power Cut and Water Cut Allegations' Lee Sang-min Appears for Detention Review... 'Silent'

[Financial News] Lee Sang-min, former Minister of the Interior and Safety, who is suspected of ordering power and water cuts to media companies during the emergency martial law on December 3, appeared in court for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review).
On the 31st, at around 1:40 PM, former Minister Lee appeared at the court for a warrant review presided over by Judge Jeong Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court.
He headed straight to the courtroom without answering questions from the press such as 'Did you order the power and water cuts to the Fire Department?', 'Do you think there is no problem with the media company power and water cuts?', 'What was the content of the document held by the Presidential Office?', 'Do you deny the perjury charges at the Constitutional Court?'.
The special prosecutor team for rebellion and foreign affairs (Cho Eun-seok special prosecutor) applied charges of engaging in important duties during a rebellion, abuse of authority, and perjury to former Minister Lee and requested an arrest warrant on the 28th. This is the second time an arrest warrant has been requested for a cabinet member related to martial law, following former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.
The special prosecutor team believes that former Minister Lee, despite being the minister in charge of martial law during peacetime, did not prevent the illegal declaration of martial law and effectively condoned it. They also believe he actively conspired by conveying illegal orders to the National Police Agency and the Fire Department, which are external agencies under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Additionally, on the day of the martial law declaration, he is accused of conveying orders for power and water cuts to media companies to the Fire Department following instructions from former President Yoon Seok-yeol. The special prosecutor suspects that former President Yoon directly instructed former Minister Lee by handing over a document containing the order to "block power and water to Hankyoreh Newspaper, Kyunghyang Newspaper, MBC, JTBC, and polling flowers around 24:00 through the Fire Department."
Former Minister Lee is believed to have called Cho Ji-ho, the National Police Agency Commissioner, and Heo Seok-gon, the Fire Department Commissioner, immediately after the martial law declaration, and the special prosecutor believes that orders related to power and water cuts were exchanged during this call.
The decision on whether to detain former Minister Lee is expected to be made as early as tonight. If the special prosecutor team secures former Minister Lee's custody, the investigation is expected to expand to other cabinet members, including former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, who is suspected of being a co-conspirator in the rebellion.

scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter