Special counsel seeks 5-year sentence for ex-defense minister over obstruction of justice

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun attends the insurrection trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Seoul Central District Court in the capital, Dec. 30. Yonhap

A special counsel team on Tuesday sought a five-year prison term for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on charges of deceiving the Presidential Security Service into issuing a secure phone for use after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law.

Kim has been indicted on charges of obstructing justice by obtaining the phone and handing it to Noh Sang-won, a civilian and a former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, for communication regarding the execution of Yoon's failed martial law bid in December 2024.

He is also accused of instigating the destruction of evidence by ordering an aide to destroy documents, a laptop and a cellphone used in the martial law attempt.

"This was not simply a personal crime but a security crime that shook national security," a member of special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team said during the trial at the Seoul Central District Court.

The team said that while heavy punishment was inevitable, it took into consideration the fact that an appellate trial is under way for a separate case in which Kim was sentenced to a 30-year term for playing a key role in an insurrection through the martial law bid.

Kim defended himself, saying that though he drafted the decree on the laptop in question, he had no intention of destroying evidence, as he was simply discarding material after his resignation.