Arrest Warrant Requested for Mun Heung-sik, Central Figure in 'Gwangju Building Collapse Disaster' Corruption Allegations

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] A warrant for the arrest of Moon Heung-sik, former president of the May 18 Detained and Injured Association, who is suspected of various corrupt practices and involvement related to the Gwangju redevelopment building collapse accident, has been requested.

According to the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency on the 13th, the prosecution has requested an arrest warrant for Moon on charges of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act and the Framework Act on the Construction Industry.

The substantive hearing for the warrant will be held at 11 a.m. on the 14th at the Gwangju District Court.

Moon is suspected of receiving hundreds of millions of won in exchange for arranging contracts with the association several times between 2017 and 2019, together with Lee (73), who was previously arrested and indicted.

He left for Seattle, USA, on the 13th, just four days after the building collapse disaster on June 9, which resulted in 17 casualties.

He was identified as having exerted influence over the entire redevelopment project, came under police investigation, and reportedly fled the country just before being booked.

As Moon’s flight prolonged, the police investigation into the redevelopment association’s corruption allegations made little progress.

After securing Moon’s custody 91 days after his escape, the police plan to focus on confirming evidence of his involvement in various redevelopment-related contracts and proving the charges as soon as daylight breaks.

Meanwhile, at around 4:22 p.m. on June 9, a building under demolition at the Hakdong 4 District redevelopment site in Dong-gu, Gwangju, collapsed, crushing a city bus on the road, resulting in 9 deaths and 8 serious injuries.

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