Anchor: Prosecutors hit a snag on Friday in their probe of the December 3 martial law case. In a busy morning for the judiciary, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that two major figures from the former President Yoon Suk Yeol's camp, accused of aiding the declaration, will walk free—for now.
Monica Chin has more.

Report: A court's decision not to detain two high-profile suspects in the December 3 martial law case has marked a hiccup for what was shaping up to be a blockbuster week for the prosecution.

The Seoul Central District Court elected for a second time Friday not to detain former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, who is accused of ordering subordinates to survey detention capacity, enforce travel bans and take other actions in support of Yoon’s decree.

This marks the second time special counsel Cho Eun-suk has failed to put Park behind bars. The team first asked that the court do so on October 9, a request that was rejected on October 15.

On Friday, the court ruled that the allegations against Park remain disputable, despite prosecutors' submission of additional charges and evidence.

The Seoul Central District Court also ruled against the detention of former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who prosecutors say defended Yoon’s martial law declaration on social media.

The court found that Hwang did not appear to be a flight risk and was unlikely to tamper with evidence.

Hwang called for the elimination of pro-North Korea forces and those involved in election fraud, whom he said had destroyed the country, on the day of the martial law declaration, as well as for the arrest of National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and then-People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, which prosecutors argue constituted incitement of insurrection.

The court added, however, that evidence supporting the prosecution’s allegations appears to be considerable.

The special prosecution said it remained unyielding in its investigation, hinting that it nevertheless plans to indict the former justice minister without detention and that it will likely seek yet another warrant to detain the former prime minister.
Monica Chin, KBS World Radio News.