YouTuber Jeon Han-gil Faces Detention Review Hearing on Defamation Charges

YouTuber Jeon Han-gil underwent a hearing today (16th) at court to determine his detention status, on charges of spreading false information about Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok. This hearing is a procedure for a judge to determine whether the charges are true and if there is a risk of flight or evidence tampering.

Jeon is accused of spreading false information on his YouTube channel, including allegations of a 160 trillion won slush fund creation and military secrets leakage to China concerning leader Lee Jae-myung, and that leader Lee Jun-seok's Harvard University degree is fabricated.

The substantive review hearing for the arrest warrant, held at the Seoul Central District Court, concluded around 12:05 PM after approximately 1.5 hours. Upon his arrival at court, Jeon told reporters that he was merely re-reporting overseas media, not spreading false information.

The transfer to the detention facility was delayed by about two hours as the defense team protested Jeon being handcuffed. Prosecutors argued that the charges against Jeon were substantiated and that the case is serious, citing his repeated production and dissemination of fake news. They cited the risk of re-offense and flight as grounds for the warrant request.