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Rival parties clash over denial of Han Duck-soo detention warrant

Published: 28 Aug. 2025, 16:27 Updated: 28 Aug. 2025, 17:53

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk speaks during a meeting of supreme council members at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Aug. 28. [JUN MIN-KYU]

Rival parties clashed Thursday after a court denied a detention warrant for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, with the liberal Democratic Party (DP) urging a special tribunal on insurrection and the conservative People Power Party (PPP) denouncing the special counsel as "a government watchdog.”

Newly elected PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk, a loyalist of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, said at a party leadership meeting that the court's decision on Wednesday was "natural and welcome."

He argued that the denial proved the special counsel had engaged in political overreach. The counsel is currently investigating Han's role in allegedly aiding Yoon's short-lived martial law imposition in December of last year.

“The fact that the warrant was denied even after sufficient evidence should have been collected shows how reckless and political this special counsel has been,” Jang said.

The lawmaker also criticized the special counsel's attempt to seize the PPP's membership database in the separate probe into former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

“The special counsel said it would reapply for a search warrant. But it failed to carry out the first one because it could not find any link to a crime,” Jang said.

“If the court approves another warrant, it will be abandoning its responsibility as the judiciary.”

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 27 to attend his pretrial detention hearing. [NEWS1]

PPP lawmakers extended their criticism to the three ongoing investigations into Yoon, who is detained on insurrection charges for his imposition of martial law, as well as former first lady Kim and the death of a Marine.

Kim Jae-won, a member of the PPP's supreme council, said the rejection of Han's detention warrant proved the prosecution had forced the case.

“The entire special counsel team has been playing the role of government watchdog, and this is nothing new,” he said. “Even if they act as watchdogs, prosecutors and special counsels must investigate based on law and principle. They must stop their frenzied dance with the sword.”

Jeon Hyun-heui, head of the Democratic Party’s task force on special counsel investigations, and other members call on the special counsel to reapply for an arrest warrant after an additional investigation, expressing concern over the dismissal of a warrant for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, during a press conference at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Aug. 28. [YONHAP]

The DP denounced the court ruling and openly called for the creation of a special tribunal dedicated to insurrection cases. Its task force on the three special counsels said the decision betrayed public trust.

“The judiciary must face the public outrage caused by its rejection of Han’s detention warrant,” the task force said. “Calls are already rising among the public for a special tribunal on insurrection. The judiciary must not take this warning from public sentiment lightly.”

The task force pledged to fully support the special counsel, saying it would “mobilize all resources until those responsible for insurrection are fully punished.”

Several DP lawmakers echoed the demand.

“We cannot entrust insurrection cases to a judiciary that has lost the people's trust," Rep. Kim Yong-min wrote on Facebook. "A special tribunal is necessary, and party leadership must immediately decide to establish one.”

Former prosecutor Rep. Lee Sung-yoon and lawyer-turned-lawmaker Rep. Park Ju-min also voiced support for the idea.

DP lawmaker Kim Young-jin, known for his pro-Lee Jae Myung stance, said on an MBC radio program that Han represented entrenched power networks.

“He served as prime minister twice and as a minister. He is at the very center of our society’s strongest cartel,” Kim said. “It seems the law and justice have been distorted by such power.”

On Wednesday, Judge Jeong Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court rejected the warrant sought against Han on charges of aiding insurrection leaders.

The judge ruled that prosecutors failed to sufficiently prove the allegations or show risks of evidence destruction or flight, the main criteria for issuing a detention warrant.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YANG SU-MIN [[email protected]]