Seoul: Lee Jin-sook, the former chief of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), was detained Thursday on charges of violating the election law and breaching political neutrality, police said. Lee was held by authorities near her residence at around 4 p.m.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the detention followed her repeated failure to comply with summons for questioning more than three times. Lee is accused of breaching political neutrality by making partisan remarks while appearing on conservative YouTube channels in September last year. These remarks were deemed to violate the election law, as they were allegedly aimed at obstructing the election of President Lee Jae Myung.

In July, the Board of Audit and Inspection had warned her regarding the comments made at that time. Multiple complaints had also been filed against her. Lee’s legal representative called the arrest unfair, attributing her failure to appear for questioning to her participation in a parliamentary filibuster. The lawyer stated that Lee had already explained the reason for her absence to the police.

The detention occurred just one day after she was automatically removed from office following the enactment of the government reorganization bill that abolishes the KCC. On the same day, Lee filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, challenging the legality of the law that dismantled the KCC. Lee was appointed to a three-year term by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in July 2024.

Police have 48 hours to either seek a formal arrest warrant from a court or release her.