Special Counsel Indicts Former JCS Chairman Kim Myung-soo on Charges of Aiding Insurrection

The second special counsel team indicted former Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Kim Myung-soo without detention today (July 2) on charges of complicity in an insurrection.

Kim is accused of engaging in critical duties related to an insurrection and failing to prevent crimes committed by his subordinates.

The special counsel team also indicted Lee Jae-sik, former JCS Readiness Inspection Chief; Jeong Jin-pal, former JCS Vice Chairman; and Kim Heung-jun, former Policy Office Chief of the ROK Army Headquarters, on charges of engaging in critical duties related to an insurrection. All three were previously detained.

The special counsel team had initiated an investigation into Kim and others as its first recognized case in March, approximately two weeks after the team was launched, on charges including engaging in critical duties related to an insurrection.

On June 9, the team requested arrest warrants for Kim and three others, citing charges such as engaging in critical duties related to an insurrection.

While the court issued arrest warrants for the three individuals, it dismissed the warrant for Kim, whom the special counsel identified as the key figure in the allegations, stating that there was room for dispute regarding the primary criminal charges, a need to guarantee his right to defense, and no risk of flight or destruction of evidence.

Following the dismissal, the special counsel team summoned Kim again to reinforce the charges and subsequently sent him to trial without detention, opting not to request another arrest warrant.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.