Lee denies media power cut orders

[Anchor]

Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min testified that he saw notes regarding cuts to power and water of media outlets during a meeting just before the emergency martial law was declared.

However, he claimed that he did not instruct the Fire Chief to implement the power and water cuts.

He also denied the claim made by former Minister Kim Yong-hyun that he provided documents related to the martial law.

Reporter Lee Ho-jun has the details.

[Report]

The Fire Chief testified last month in the National Assembly that during the martial law he was instructed by then-Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min to cooperate with requests for power and water cuts against certain media outlets.

[Heo Seok-gon/Fire Chief/Jan. 13/National Assembly Security Committee: "There was an instruction to cooperate if there was a request from the National Police Agency regarding specific media outlets."]

Former Minister Lee, who appeared as a witness at the Constitutional Court, claimed that he never issued such instructions and that he never received any directives from President Yoon Suk Yeol or former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun.

However, he stated that he saw notes containing related content at the presidential office at that time.

[Lee Sang-min/Former Minister of the Interior and Safety: "I saw a few paper notes from a distance at the presidential office. Among those notes, there was content written about 'power and water cuts by the Fire Department.'"]

The prosecution's indictment against President Yoon states that former Minister Lee instructed the Fire Chief to implement power and water cuts to media outlets after receiving directives from the President during martial law, which he has flatly denied.

When asked if he had ever received memos containing emergency martial law instructions from President Yoon or former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, he also denied it.

[Lee Dong-chan/Representative of President Yoon - Lee Sang-min/Former Minister: "(Have you ever received any notes from the Minister of National Defense regarding directives related to emergency martial law?) Not at all."]

Regarding the statement made by Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryung that President Yoon made various requests to the Prime Minister and Ministers, former Minister Lee responded that he did not hear such remarks.

This is KBS News, Lee Ho-jun.