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A Seoul court on Thursday rejected an arrest warrant for former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung, who is accused of involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid in 2024. The Seoul Central District Court said there were insufficient grounds to conclude that Shim poses a flight risk or is likely to destroy evidence.

Shim, a former head of the prosecution service, is suspected of having reviewed the dispatch of prosecutors to a joint martial law investigation body on Dec. 3, 2024, the night Yoon declared martial law. The special counsel's office, led by Kwon Chang-young, believes the move came at the direction of then-Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, who had three phone calls with Shim that night.

Coverage Comparison

The story was consistently reported by Yonhap News, South Korea's leading wire service. The accounts detail the court's rejection of the warrant, Shim's alleged role, and the separate questioning of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun in connection with plans to detain politicians during the martial law period. All reports quote official sources and provide a neutral tone.

The four articles from Yonhap offer a step-by-step account: the special counsel team requested the arrest warrant on Tuesday, the hearing took place Thursday, and the court subsequently rejected the warrant. One of the articles also notes a separate hearing later Thursday for former senior prosecutor Jeon Moo-gon, who is accused of assisting Shim.

Key Claims

  • The Seoul Central District Court rejected the arrest warrant for Shim Woo-jung, citing insufficient grounds for flight risk or evidence.
  • Shim is suspected of reviewing the dispatch of prosecutors to a joint martial law investigation body on Dec. 3, 2024, the night martial law was declared.
  • Special counsel Kwon Chang-young's team believes Shim's actions came at the instruction of then-Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, who had three phone calls with Shim on that evening.
  • Shim is also accused of overriding the prosecution's internal recommendations in March last year to appeal a court order to release Yoon from detention, following a ruling that his detention was invalid.
  • Shim reportedly denied the allegations during the arrest warrant hearing.
  • Park Sung-jae was convicted and sentenced to a 25-year prison term by the Seoul district court in June.
  • Kwon's team filed the arrest warrant for Shim on Tuesday, with assistant special counsel Kwon Young-bin citing "multiple reasons" based on the evidence.
  • The team also applied for a warrant for Jeon Moo-gon, who is accused of assisting Shim while heading the Supreme Prosecutors Office's policy planning division.
  • In a separate development, special counsel's team questioned former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on July 28 about allegations of plotting to detain, and potentially kill, politicians during the same martial law bid.
  • Those allegations stem from notes by retired general Noh Sang-won, allegedly listing President Lee Jae Myung, then opposition leader, former President Moon Jae-in, and others as "class A" targets for detention, and mentioning transfers to the border island of Yeonpyeong.
  • Noh has maintained the notes merely recorded ideas and has refused to testify about them.
  • Kim was sentenced to 30 years in prison in February for his role in an insurrection under Yoon's martial law; he has appealed.

Perspectives

_This section is not included because the provided material does not present multiple distinct viewpoints from named parties beyond the shared facts and statements from the special counsel's office and the court's ruling._