Former presidential aide I Si-won appeared in court on July 15 for a hearing regarding an arrest warrant related to allegations of leaking confidential information about the Chae Sang-byeong case.
Judge Lee Jong-rok of the Seoul Central District Court began the warrant hearing at 10:10 a.m. The court's decision is expected to be announced later in the afternoon.
On July 10, the second special prosecutor's team, led by Kwon Chang-young, requested an arrest warrant for I Si-won on charges of leaking official secrets. This marks the first time the special prosecutor's office has sought to secure a suspect in connection with the Chae Sang-byeong case.
Upon arriving at the court around 10 a.m., I responded to questions about whether he had informed the Marine Corps of a planned search by the Gyeongbuk Police Agency, saying, "I will provide a sincere explanation."
Special Prosecutor Kim Chi-hun stated, "I believe the former aide meets all the criteria for the seriousness of the crime, potential evidence destruction, and flight risk, as well as concerns about reoffending and harm to witnesses."
He added, "July 19 marks three years since Chae Sang-byeong's death, and we hope the court will issue the warrant so that his death will not be in vain."
I Si-won is accused of notifying the Marine Corps about the planned search by the Gyeongbuk Police Agency related to the Chae Sang-byeong case in September 2023.
At that time, the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency had communicated the search plan to an employee of the presidential office's public integrity office.
The special prosecutor's office believes that I Si-won informed a National Security Office official about the search details, which were subsequently relayed to the Marine Corps through the Ministry of National Defense.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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