A Daejeon court will hold a hearing to review the prosecution's request for a warrant to arrest a former industry and energy minister in an investigation into the controversial closure of the aging Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor.

The Daejeon District Court is scheduled to begin the review of the arrest of Paik Un-gyu at 2:30 p.m. Monday.

On Thursday, the Daejeon District Prosecutors Office filed for Paik's arrest on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of business.

Paik is accused of interfering in the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power’s(KHNP) economic viability assessment of the nation's second-oldest nuclear reactor, before the government decided to decommission it in December 2019.

In October 2020, the Board of Audit and Inspection(BAI) found its economic viability was unreasonably undervalued in favor of an early shutdown.

The former minister is also suspected of playing a role in the deletion of over 500 relevant documents by three ministry officials before the BAI ordered their submission last year. The three officials have been indicted.

The Moon Jae-in administration's decision to decommission the Wolsong-1 earlier than previously scheduled under its energy policy has been a controversial topic in domestic politics.