(VOVworld)- A Seoul court on Thursday rejected an arrest warrant for a former presidential secretary accused of pressuring local food and entertainment giant CJ Group to fire its vice chairwoman.

Prosecutors had sought the warrant to formally arrest Cho Won-dong, a former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, on charges of attempted coercion, but the Seoul Central District Court rejected the request, saying it's hard to see the reason and need for his arrest.

Prosecutors plan to decide whether to seek a warrant for him again after additional investigation.

Cho, who served as senior economic secretary to President Park Geun-hye from 2013 to 2014, is suspected of pressing the business group in late 2013 to get rid of Vice Chairwoman Lee Mie-kyung, saying such a move was the will of the president.