Special Counsel Seeks Arrest Warrant for Former KTV Head on Insurrection Charges

A special counsel team on Monday sought an arrest warrant for Lee Eun-woo, former president of the state-funded KTV cable channel, on charges of promoting insurrection related to the December 2024 martial law attempt by former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The special counsel team investigating allegations linked to the failed Dec. 3 martial law imposition filed for a court warrant to arrest Lee on insurrection propaganda charges, officials said.

Lee is accused of directing the newsroom to heavily cover Yoon's martial law declaration to justify the move, while blocking or deleting reports critical of or opposed to it. Prosecutors suspect that Lee also excluded news about lawmakers or political parties, as well as the National Assembly that opposed the martial law decree.

Lee has already been indicted and is standing trial on charges of abuse of authority for allegedly ordering the removal of broadcast captions featuring politicians' remarks stating that the martial law declaration was illegal and unconstitutional.

The special counsel team has demanded a five-year prison term for Lee on the abuse-of-power charges. KTV is operated by a public policy broadcasting service affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.