A Seoul court on Friday refused to issue an arrest warrant for a former senior official of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) allegedly involved in the spy agency's interference in domestic politics and blacklisting celebrities.

The prosecution had sought to arrest Choo Myeong-ho, a former chief of the NIS domestic intelligence unit, on charges of abuse of power and violation of the NIS law banning its political involvement.

The prosecution has been carrying out a series of probes into alleged misdeeds involving past government officials, which the conservative opposition parties have labeled "political retribution."

Choo Myeong-ho, former chief of the National Intelligence Service domestic intelligence unit, enters the Seoul Central District Court for his arrest warrant hearing on Oct. 19, 2017. (Yonhap)

Hwi Won  edt@koreapost.com

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