By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Lee Kang-hwan, 67, the leader of the nation's largest gang "Chilsungpa," was released by the prosecution Thursday, only two days after his arrest, due to a lack of evidence solid enough to see him remain in custody.
Lee was suspected of extorting some 400 million won ($333,000) from the head of a local construction company as well as kidnapping and physically assaulting him.
Busan Yeonje Police Station requested an arrest warrant for Lee for making continual threats, but the prosecution discharged Lee requesting supplementary investigation.
The prosecution called for additional investigations into five issues including Lee's intervention in assault and kidnapping.
``The police investigation was not complete enough to justify an arrest warrant. That's why we asked for further investigation,'' a prosecutor at the Busan district prosecution office said. ``If stronger evidence to prove his crimes is secured, we will seek a warrant to apprehend him.''
He said further inquiries are necessary as the request for an arrest warrant might be rejected by the court if it is not backed by more cohesive results of investigation.
Lee is said to have denied all allegations, claiming that he received a share from his investment and there was no pressure or violence in the process.
In a criminal case, if the prosecution needs to hold a suspect longer, it must receive a warrant to arrest him from a court 48 hours after they are apprehended. If it fails to receive a court warrant, the suspect must be released.
The rare release of a suspect by the prosecution came as the gang leader has mounted his defense by hiring as many as five lawyers for the case.
He has designated Cho Seung-shik, a former prosecutor who currently runs a law firm to represent him. Cho was the prosecutor who investigated Lee's case in 1991, which resulted in him receiving 10 years behind bars.