The second special prosecutor team, led by Kwon Chang-young, has requested that independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who previously served as the leader of the People Power Party, appear for questioning regarding his attendance at a government meeting and a subsequent evening gathering on December 3, the day after the emergency martial law was declared. Han asserted, "I have not received any summons notification," but the special prosecutors countered that they had delivered the notice to his office.
In a press release on the morning of August 6, the special prosecutors stated, "We will summon Han as a witness on August 12 regarding the government meeting and evening gathering held on December 4, 2024, where he attended as the party leader." They added that they plan to confirm the circumstances of his attendance and the discussions that took place at the meeting.
In response, Han issued a statement claiming, "The political special prosecutors of the Lee Jae-myung administration are engaging in media play," and reiterated, "I have not received any notification of a summons."
He further stated, "Despite being the party leader on the day of the martial law, I took the lead in opposing it more than anyone else," and criticized the Lee administration for previously imposing travel bans without justification during the election period, extending them arbitrarily for months without ever calling him in for questioning. He expressed his refusal to assist what he described as a politically motivated investigation by the Lee administration's special prosecutors.
In response to Han's claim of not receiving a summons, the special prosecutors maintained, "The summons notice was received at the lawmaker's office today."
Han attended the government meeting as the leader of the People Power Party the day after the emergency martial law was declared. He later participated in an emergency parliamentary meeting, where he told reporters, "The martial law cannot be merely a warning," and conveyed demands for the resignation of former President Yoon Suk-yeol to the presidential office.
Previously, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 33, presided over by Judge Lee Jin-kwan, sentenced former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae to 25 years in prison for his involvement in a coup-related charge, determining that plans for the impeachment of former President Yoon and responses to investigations were discussed during the government meeting.
The court found that Park had instructed Im Se-jin, the former head of the Ministry of Justice's prosecution department, to draft a document justifying the martial law, and that attendees of the evening gathering used this document to construct arguments regarding the legitimacy and necessity of the emergency martial law, which were then reported to former President Yoon.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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