Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun attends a session at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in November 2024, just one month before then-president Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)
Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was sentenced to three years in prison Friday for leaking a list of military intelligence personnel, in a case tied to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law bid in 2024.
The Seoul Central District Court found Kim guilty of leaking personal information to former Defense Intelligence Command chief Noh Sang-won — who had been dishonorably discharged six years earlier — after conspiring with then-Defense Intelligence Commander Moon Sang-ho and others between October and November 2024.
“As defense minister, the defendant was in a position responsible for protecting military secrets and the personal information of service members, and was more aware than anyone of the need to safeguard military secrets and the personal details of personnel carrying out special missions.”
“Despite this, he played a decisive role in allowing Noh Sang-won, a civilian, to access the relevant personal information,” the court said.
The court also added that Kim's actions became one of the "driving forces" behind Yoon's martial law declaration.
The special counsel initially sought a five-year prison term for Kim, saying the list was intended to help form a so-called “second investigation unit” under martial law to probe unsubstantiated election fraud claims.
It also argued that Kim attempted to mobilize elite intelligence personnel for an unconstitutional and illegal investigation, undermining the military’s political neutrality.
Kim's lawyers said they would appeal the ruling.
“This is a flawed judgement that treats something that was neither designated, registered nor managed as a military secret as confidential, thereby allowing all duties performed by military personnel to be punished according to the current administration’s political preferences,” said Yoo Seung-soo, Kim's attorney, after the ruling.
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
Read the full article at The Korea Herald →
KR