▲ Former Minister Lee Sang-min (from left), former Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki, former General Affairs Secretary Yoon Jae-soon, and former Management Secretary Kim Oh-jin
A four-year prison term has been sought for former Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki, who is on trial for allegedly ordering the illegal diversion of budgets during the relocation of the presidential residence under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
During the sentencing hearing held on October 16 by Criminal Settlement Division 36 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jeong-yeop), the 2nd Comprehensive Independent Counsel Team led by Kwon Chang-young requested the court to "sentence him to four years in prison."
Prison terms of three years and six months were respectively requested for former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and former Presidential Management Secretary Kim Oh-jin, who were indicted alongside him, while a two-and-a-half-year prison term was sought for former Presidential General Affairs Secretary Yoon Jae-soon.
The independent counsel team pointed out, "This case neutralized the democratic control of national finances and infringed upon the independent authorities of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, resulting in severe actual human and material damages."
They also rebuked Kim, stating, "Despite being in the position of the highest decision-maker at the time of the crime, he attempted to destroy evidence by mobilizing retired bureaucrats during the trial process."
Former Chief of Staff Kim and others were handed over to trial in June on charges of ordering the illegal diversion and execution of 2.09 billion won from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety budget—which was unrelated to official residence duties—to pay construction costs to 21gram, an unqualified contractor, during the presidential residence relocation construction in 2022.
Former Secretary Kim Oh-jin was also charged with creating a false official document by including content stating that "construction of the office building is necessary" in an official document requesting cooperation for the presidential office relocation.
This trial is the first case to be indicted since the launch of the comprehensive independent counsel team in February of this year.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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