Special Prosecutor Charges Former KTV Head with Sedition

Lee Eun-woo, the former head of the Korea Policy Broadcasting Institute (KTV), has been indicted on charges of sedition related to the December 3 martial law declaration.

The second comprehensive special prosecutor's team, led by Kwon Chang-young, announced on August 11 that Lee was indicted without detention under the criminal law for sedition.

Lee is accused of using KTV's news specials and scrolling news programming to repeatedly disseminate information justifying the martial law and proclamation from December 3 to December 13, 2024.

He is also alleged to have selectively blocked and deleted information that criticized or attempted to prevent the sedition, thereby promoting support for the sedition among the general viewing public.

Article 90 of the criminal law stipulates that anyone who incites or propagates sedition can face a prison sentence of three years or more.

The special prosecutor's team determined that the end of Lee's seditious acts was not the lifting of martial law on December 4, 2024, but rather the passage of the impeachment motion against former President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 14 of that year.

They explained, "The seditious acts of former President Yoon are distinguished from the 'sedition from below' of the past military regime under Chun Doo-hwan, as they represent 'sedition from above.'"

The team emphasized that sedition is a crime that requires a specific intent, stating, "We concluded that the seditious acts ended when the actor either abandoned the goal or was unable to achieve it due to objective obstacles."

Based on this assessment, the special prosecutor's team classified Lee's actions during the relevant period as a single act of sedition.

Lee is already facing trial for charges related to the deletion of broadcast subtitles concerning martial law.

In a first-instance ruling on June 1, the court sentenced Lee to one year in prison, suspended for two years.

The special prosecutor's team, led by Jo Eun-seok, charged Lee with abuse of authority but found no grounds for the sedition charges.

Concerns about potential double jeopardy are expected, as the charges brought by the comprehensive special prosecutor overlap significantly with actions already under trial.