Controversial far-right pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon is being investigated over allegations that he had incited his followers to attack the court that issued arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, Seoul police said recently.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it has kicked off investigation into criminal complaints that Jeon instigated the mob attack against the Seoul Western District Court, the court that issued the warrant to arrest Yoon, in the wee hours of Jan. 19.
Yoon, charged with leading an insurrection and abuse of power related to his Dec. 3 martial law declaration, is currently being detained at the Seoul Detention Center.
As the court rejected the prosecution's request to extend his detention, the prosecution now must decide whether to indict Yoon or not. If it indicts him, Yoon could be held for up to six months, but if it does not, it would have to release him on or before 11:59 p.m. Monday.
The police will look into what role Jeon may have played in last Sunday's attack on the court, while launching a separate investigation into similar claims that far-right YouTubers also instigated the attack.
It was reported last week that one of the court attackers who appeared prominently in videos of the incident had been a special missionary at Jeon's Sarang Jeil Church, although both Jeon and the church denied current ties to the assailant surnamed Lee. Jeon said that Lee quit his position at the church after being arrested for another crime.
Jeon, embroiled in numerous controversies over his far-right political views, has been one of the most vocal advocates of the impeached president.
After the court attack, Jeon told his followers that it would be "possible to get Yoon out the detention center," and, "the public's right to resist has been exercised."
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
