A Seoul court on Thursday rejected an arrest warrant for a former presidential secretary accused of pressuring local food and entertainment giant CJ Group to fire its vice chairwoman.

Prosecutors had sought the warrant to formally arrest Cho Won-dong, a former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, on charges of attempted coercion, but the Seoul Central District Court rejected the request, saying it's hard to recognize the reason and need for his arrest.

Prosecutors plan to decide whether to seek a warrant for him again after additional investigation.

Cho, who served as senior economic secretary to President Park Geun-hye from 2013 to 2014, is suspected of pushing the business group in late 2013 to get rid of Vice Chairwoman Lee Mie-kyung, saying such a move was the will of the president.

Lee was in charge of the conglomerate's entertainment arm, which aired a TV show and distributed a film that were viewed by some conservatives as "leftist." She is known to have remained in the United States since 2014, citing a hereditary disease.

The prosecution said Cho is charged with attempted coercion, not coercion, as Lee did not officially step down from the vice chairwoman position.

"I feel frustrated to stand here," Cho told reporters before entering the hearing Wednesday that reviewed the legality of his detention. "I will reveal everything in court and expect a wise decision."

In a separate case, an appeals court last week sentenced Cho to six months in prison, suspended for a year, for causing a traffic accident while driving under the influence of alcohol in October 2015. (Yonhap)