Police have moved to detain officials of the Minjung Democratic Party who are suspected of violating the National Security Law.
According to a press release issued by the Minjung Democratic Party on Saturday, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office requested arrest warrants on the 12th for Han Myung-hee, leader of the Minjung Democratic Party, and Han Jun-hye, the party's secretary-general. The request came just one day after the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency applied to prosecutors on the 11th for arrest warrants on charges of forming an anti-state organization under the National Security Law.
The pre-detention suspect questioning (warrant review hearings) for the two will be held at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the 16th, respectively.
The Security Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had been investigating the Minjung Democratic Party's alleged violations of the National Security Law since 2024. After searching and seizing the party's headquarters in August 2024, police converted the leader and party members to suspect status and conducted investigations in July of last year.
Police believe the suspects formed an anti-state organization and engaged in pro-enemy acts, such as holding protests demanding the withdrawal of U.S. forces and criticizing the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises.
The Minjung Democratic Party pushed back, saying, "The so-called 'Minjung Democratic Party case' was orchestrated by the Yoon Suk-yeol insurrection forces to suppress forces critical of the regime during the stage when they were planning and pursuing the insurrection." The party added, "Punishing party officials, who are victims of the insurrection, by disguising them as perpetrators is a reversal of cause and effect."
