Overview

• The Seoul Central District Court denied the special counsel’s request to detain Park Sung-jae, citing insufficient grounds for arrest and low risks of flight or evidence tampering, and noting room to contest whether his actions broke the law.
• Investigators allege Park advanced the martial law effort by arranging a prosecutor’s dispatch to a joint investigation headquarters, putting immigration teams on standby for travel bans, and directing corrections officials to secure detention space.
• Park rejects the allegations, calling his directives standard contingency preparations, and he told reporters he would fully explain his actions in court.
• The decision follows the court’s August rejection of an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in the same investigation.
• The probe remains active, with the special counsel saying an arrest warrant for former president Yoon Suk Yeol on treason was issued on Oct. 1 but not executed after he agreed to appear for questioning on Oct. 15.