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Lee Sang-min, former Minister of the Interior and Safety, enters the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District, Seoul, on July 25 to attend questioning by the special counsel investigating the martial law case. / Source: Yonhap News

Lee Sang-min, former Minister of the Interior and Safety, has been arrested on charges including alleged orders to cut off power and water supply to media outlets.

On August 1, Judge Jung Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant after a four-hour pretrial detention hearing, citing “substantial grounds to believe the suspect committed the crimes and concerns over evidence tampering.”

Lee is accused of participating in key duties during the state of emergency, abuse of power, and perjury. His arrest marks the second detention of a cabinet member involved in the martial law crisis, following former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, raising expectations that investigations into other former cabinet officials will accelerate.

Prosecutors allege that on December 3 of last year, just before and after martial law was declared, Lee received orders from then-President Yoon Suk-yeol to cut power and water to certain media outlets. He reportedly called Fire Commissioner Heo Seok-gon instructing him, “If the police request cooperation for power or water cutoff, comply.”

Lee is also accused of committing perjury during Yoon’s impeachment trial in February by falsely testifying that he had neither attempted to cut utilities nor received such orders from the president.

The special investigation team reportedly obtained CCTV footage from the presidential office showing Lee holding a document suspected to contain utility cutoff instructions while conversing with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.