Arrest Warrant for Jeong Chang-ok Who Threw Shoe at President Moon Rejected: "Lack of Necessity for Detention"

Court: "It is difficult to see any risk of evidence destruction or flight"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Jeong Chang-ok (57), who threw a shoe at President Moon Jae-in during his visit to the National Assembly, avoided detention.

On the 19th, Seoul Southern District Court Chief Judge Kim Jin-cheol dismissed the detention warrant after conducting a pre-detention suspect hearing (warrant review) for Mr. Kim, stating, "There is insufficient justification and necessity for detention."

Judge Kim explained, "Considering the evidence and facts collected so far, the suspect's attitude toward the investigation, and the fact that he resides where his wife and son live, making it difficult to say his residence is uncertain, it is hard to believe there is a risk of evidence destruction or flight."

Jeong was caught in the act on the 16th at around 3:19 p.m. in front of the main entrance on the 2nd floor of the National Assembly building, after attending the opening ceremony of the 21st National Assembly and throwing a shoe at President Moon as he was leaving, charged with obstruction of official duties and trespassing.

The shoe Jeong threw landed a few meters away from President Moon. The Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul had applied for a detention warrant on the 17th, stating, "The matter is very serious."

Jeong will be released from the Yeongdeungpo Police Station detention center as he avoided detention.

On the day, Jeong appeared at the court at 1:25 p.m. wearing a neck and right arm cast and a mask, and finished the hearing at 3:56 p.m., two hours later.

Kim Tae-hoon, a lawyer from the Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea (Hanbyun), who provided legal support to Jeong, read Jeong's final statement after the hearing.

In the statement, Jeong claimed, "If the person who performed the shoe-throwing act is detained, the court handling the case will be a lackey of the regime, a pro-North Korean leftist dog who has abandoned constitutional values."

Hanbyun issued a statement the same day, saying, "They do not hesitate to apply shabby legal measures to detain a citizen who criticized the president," and added, "(The warrant application) is a serious criminal act that infringes on freedom of expression and freedom of the press."

Jeong is reported to have been a co-representative of the North Korean human rights organization 'Nam-Buk Hamkke Gukmin Yeonhap' (South-North Together National Union).

He is also known to have a prior record of detention in 1995 on charges of sexually assaulting a minor while working as a theater actor.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.