Overview

• Seoul Central District Court denied special counsel Cho Eun-suk’s bid to arrest Han Duck-soo on allegations including abetting insurrection, falsifying and destroying public documents, and perjury.
• The court found no meaningful risk of evidence destruction beyond legitimate defense activity and pointed to Han’s ties and cooperation in concluding he was unlikely to flee.
• Han denied most accusations during Wednesday’s hearing, with reports indicating he conceded only perjury-related issues, and he left the Seoul Detention Center after the ruling.
• The special counsel said it respects the decision but is disappointed and will weigh options such as reapplying for detention or indicting Han without custody.
• Political reactions diverged as the Democratic Party urged a special tribunal on insurrection while the People Power Party criticized the probe as political; separately, detained ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol missed his trial for a sixth straight session.