Kim Yong-hyun, the former Minister of National Defense, has been sentenced to three years in prison for leaking the names of military intelligence personnel during the martial law period in December 2023.
On June 19, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 21, led by Judge Jo Soon-pyo, found Kim guilty of violating military secrecy laws and the Personal Information Protection Act. The special prosecutor's team had previously sought a five-year sentence for him.
The court determined that between October and November 2024, Kim conspired with military officials, including then-Intelligence Command Chief Moon Sang-ho, to unlawfully disclose the names of approximately 40 personnel from the Intelligence Command's Special Operations Team (HID) to civilian No Sang-won, a former intelligence chief. The court also confirmed the special prosecutor's findings that Kim and No planned to form a 'Second Investigation Team' to investigate allegations of electoral fraud under martial law.
The court stated, "As the Minister of National Defense at the time, the defendant had an obligation to protect military secrets and the personal information of soldiers to maintain national security. He was well aware of the need to safeguard the missions of special operations personnel. Nevertheless, he played a crucial role in enabling civilian No Sang-won to access the personal details of intelligence personnel through the military command structure."
The ruling emphasized that Kim's actions contributed to the declaration of martial law without any substantial basis, leading to serious and unconstitutional consequences. The court noted that Kim's lack of remorse throughout the proceedings was also considered in determining his sentence.
Additionally, the court rejected Kim's defense team's argument that the charges were duplicative of a separate indictment related to insurrection. The court clarified that the crimes of insurrection and military secrecy violation are distinct offenses with different legal elements.
Immediately following the verdict, Kim issued a statement through his attorney, asserting, "What was not designated or managed as military secrets was wrongfully classified as such. This ruling allows the government to punish all military personnel's actions at its discretion," and he expressed his intention to appeal.
In addition to this ruling, Kim is currently undergoing a second trial after being sentenced to 30 years in prison in February for insurrection-related charges connected to the December 3 martial law incident. He has also been indicted for allegedly directing a 'Pyongyang Drone Operation' to create a justification for the martial law, receiving another 30-year sentence in a first trial on June 12.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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