Former Fire Chief Heo Seok-gon and former Deputy Fire Chief Lee Young-pal have been indicted for their involvement in the emergency martial law declared on December 3, following orders from former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min to cut off power and water to media outlets.
The second comprehensive special prosecution team, led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young, announced on the afternoon of August 11 that they have charged Heo and Lee without detention for their roles in important duties related to insurrection.
Heo is accused of receiving instructions from Lee to cooperate with police in cutting off power and water to MBC, JTBC, Hankyoreh, Kyunghyang Shinmun, and Kim Eo-jun's News Factory shortly after the martial law was declared. He allegedly relayed these orders to Lee.
Subsequently, Lee reportedly called the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, asking them to cooperate if police requested assistance regarding the proclamation.
Previously, the insurrection special prosecution team, led by Special Prosecutor Jo Eun-seok, indicted Lee for his orders to media outlets, charging him with important duties related to insurrection. Both the first and second trial courts found him guilty, and the case is currently awaiting a decision from the Supreme Court's full bench.
The insurrection special prosecution team had investigated Heo and Lee for abuse of authority but concluded the case with a non-prosecution decision. However, the comprehensive special prosecution team has reopened the investigation, believing that the charges against them could be substantiated given the court's findings against Lee.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.