▲ Former President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun
The special counsel team led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-seok on the insurrection case has demanded a 30-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is on trial for general aiding of the enemy related to the "Pyongyang drone infiltration operation," maintaining the same sentence sought in the first trial.
During the appellate sentencing hearing for Yoon, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and others held by the 1st Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Yoon Sung-sik) on the 16th, the special counsel team requested 30-year prison terms for both of them.
In addition, the special counsel requested 20 years in prison for former Defense Security Commander Yeo In-hyung and 5 years in prison for former Drone Operations Commander Kim Yong-dae, who were indicted alongside them.
The sentence requested by the special counsel for former President Yoon in the appellate trial is identical to the sentence demanded and handed down in the first trial.
Former Minister Kim had faced a 25-year prison demand in the first trial but was given a heavier demand of 30 years this time.
The special counsel team criticized the crime, stating, "This offense is a crime in which the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the defense minister, and the defense security commander abused their command and operational authorities to provoke North Korea's armed provocation in order to create a pretext for emergency martial law under wartime conditions, even willing to risk at least a localized war or at most an all-out war." They added, "The nature of the crime is even heavier than that of an insurrection."
Regarding the first-instance ruling, the special counsel argued, "It was unfair for the lower court to reduce the sentence for Yeo In-hyung on the grounds of his 'passive participation,' given that he was a key planner who attended every conspiracy meeting and conceptualized and proposed creating the conditions for martial law through notes." They also stated, "The suspended sentence given by the first instance to Kim Yong-dae, who systematically mobilized subordinate soldiers to conceal and manipulate the grave crime while denying his guilt, is excessively lenient."
Closing arguments and final statements by the legal teams and defendants Yoon and Kim are scheduled for the afternoon session.
Former President Yoon, former Minister Kim, and others are accused of ordering the Drone Operations Command to infiltrate Pyongyang with drones around October 2024 to create conditions for declaring emergency martial law.
They also face charges of abuse of power (abuse of authority) for compelling soldiers to perform acts they had no obligation to do during the process of issuing operational directives.
The first trial found most of the charges guilty, handing down heavy prison sentences to former President Yoon and former Minister Kim.
Former Commander Yeo In-hyung, who was briefed on the operation and advised on the timing of the emergency martial law, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while former Commander Kim Yong-dae, who directly directed the operation, received a 3-year prison sentence suspended for 5 years.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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