Ex-justice minister attends arrest warrant hearing over martial law role
Published: 14 Oct. 2025, 13:21
![Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, center, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in the capital on Oct. 14, to attend an arrest warrant hearing over his alleged role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/14/4382ac5d-fc5f-46d0-9cca-08950a8e13cf.jpg)
Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, center, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in the capital on Oct. 14, to attend an arrest warrant hearing over his alleged role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law. [YONHAP]
Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae attended a court hearing Tuesday on whether an arrest warrant should be issued for him over his alleged role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law.
Park has been accused by a special counsel team of playing a key role in an insurrection and abusing his power in connection with the martial law attempt in December.
The Seoul Central District Court is expected to decide after the hearing, as early as later in the day, whether to issue the arrest warrant requested by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team.
Park was one of the first people Yoon called on Dec. 3, 2024, to share his plans to impose martial law. Investigators believe he helped the effort by ordering the possible dispatch of a prosecutor to a joint investigation headquarters set up under the now dismantled martial law command.
He is also suspected of ordering the Korea Immigration Service to put a team on standby to impose travel bans on people arrested under martial law, and directing the Korea Correctional Service to secure space to incarcerate politicians and others.
Park's side has denied wrongdoing, saying the instructions were standard orders to prepare for eventualities.
"I will explain myself fully in court," Park said in response to reporters' questions as he arrived for the hearing.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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