Ex-Marine Chief's warrant denied

[Anchor]

The detention warrant for Kim Gye-hwan, the former Marine Corps commander who has denied the so-called 'VIP anger theory,' has been dismissed by the special prosecutor.

As Kim faced the risk of arrest for perjury, he stated for the first time in two years that he had heard of the 'anger theory.'

Reporter Han-sol, what reasons did the court provide for the dismissal?

[Report]

Yes, the Seoul Central District Court has dismissed the special prosecutor's request for a detention warrant for former Marine Corps commander Kim Gye-hwan.

The court determined that at this stage, it is difficult to see a level of concern for evidence destruction that exceeds the exercise of the right to defense.

It added that this judgment was made after comprehensively considering the suspect's career, attitude during the investigation process, and the evidence secured so far.

Kim Gye-hwan, who served as the highest commander of the Marine Corps during the Marine Corps death incident, is the person identified as having received the so-called 'VIP anger.'

Former Commander Kim has been accused of perjury for allegedly providing false testimony regarding the 'anger theory' and allegations of investigative pressure in military courts.

He has consistently denied the allegations.

However, today (July 22), after the warrant review, Kim's attorney stated, "He acknowledged that he heard that former President Yoon was angry."

Although he could not remember the specific circumstances, he claimed he heard it as a rumor.

This marks the first time in two years that he has partially acknowledged the anger theory in light of the impending arrest.

This is the first attempt by the special investigation team for the Marine Corps death incident to secure Kim's detention through a warrant request, and the dismissal of the warrant is expected to impact future investigations.

The special investigation team on the insurrection today summoned Lee Young-pal, the deputy chief of the Fire Agency, and former head of the Military Intelligence Command, Yeo In-hyung, to investigate allegations regarding former President Yoon's orders to cut off media outlets and the situation before and after the martial law.

This has been Han-sol from the Seoul High Prosecutor's Office for KBS News.