Special prosecutor's team requests arrest warrant for former KTV director Lee Eun-woo, following 'Yoon Suk-yeol martial law live broadcast'

The special prosecutor's team, tasked with investigating residual cases from previous probes, has taken a significant step by requesting an arrest warrant for Lee Eun-woo, the former president of the Korea Policy Broadcasting (KTV). This marks the first such request from the current team, underscoring the gravity of the allegations surrounding Lee's role in the broadcast of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law in December 2024.

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The charges against the suspect are that he repeatedly and intensively reported news justifying the state of emergency and decrees, such as martial law and proclamation orders, using his authority over news special broadcasts and scroll news on the public channel, and selectively blocked and deleted news criticizing the state of emergency, thereby propagandizing the state of emergency.

Lee is accused of leveraging his position at the public broadcasting service to repeatedly air news that justified the martial law and related decrees, while simultaneously suppressing reports critical of these actions. The prosecution alleges that this selective broadcasting constituted propaganda, effectively promoting the government's actions during a period of national crisis. Specifically, Lee is suspected of instructing his team to remove news related to politicians, political parties, and the judiciary, focusing solely on the president's statements and decrees.

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Remove all news related to politicians, political parties, and the judiciary, as it differs from the broadcasting policy of KTV. Insert only fact-based content, such as the president's statements and the proclamation order.

This reinvestigation highlights concerns about the media's role in exercising its watchdog function during critical political events. The special prosecutor's team stated that their review of records indicated Lee had neglected his duty to check and supervise state power, even after the lifting of martial law, by allegedly supporting and shielding elements involved in the martial law declaration. The team's decision to pursue charges, even for individuals previously cleared by an earlier investigation, signals a determined effort to hold accountable those perceived to have undermined democratic principles.

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After reviewing the records of the case of the suspect who was not prosecuted in the first martial law special investigation, it was confirmed that the suspect had forgotten the media's duty to check and supervise state power and had supported and protected the martial law forces not only during the state of emergency but also after the lifting of the state of emergency.