Seoul: Lee Eun-woo, the former head of public broadcaster KTV, appeared at the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday for a crucial hearing regarding his potential arrest. This development stems from allegations that he promoted insurrection linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's 2024 martial law imposition.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee was seen arriving at the court at 9:16 a.m., with the arrest warrant hearing commencing at 10 a.m. He faces accusations of directing KTV to repeatedly air reports supporting the legitimacy of Yoon's martial law for a period of ten days following its declaration on December 3, 2024. It is alleged that during this time, critical reports of the emergency measure were suppressed and deleted. KTV operates under the Korea Policy Broadcasting Service, which is connected to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The second comprehensive special counsel team, led by Kwon Chang-young, filed for an arrest warrant on Monday on charges related to insurrection propaganda. This marks the initial attempt by Kwon's team to detain a suspect since its formation in February.

In a related legal battle, Lee was previously indicted by a separate special counsel team under Cho Eun-suk last December. He is currently on trial for charges of abuse of authority, accused of ordering the removal of broadcast captions that contained politicians' remarks labeling the martial law declaration as illegal and unconstitutional. Cho's team had cleared Lee of insurrection propaganda charges, determining that the alleged offense occurred post-martial law and that severe punishment might hinder press freedom.

Cho's team has proposed a five-year prison sentence for Lee, with the sentencing hearing scheduled for June 26. Meanwhile, some legal experts express concerns that Kwon's team's arrest warrant request might represent a "double indictment," as it involves revisiting a case that has already resulted in an indictment.