"Too Many Spies in Korea... I Didn't Cry Because of Yoon's Sentence," Kim Gyeri Explains Her Tears

Kim Gyeri, Attorney for Yoon:
"Cried Not Because of Yoon's 30-Year Sentence...
It Was Out of Fear After Realizing the Prevalence of Spies"

On the 12th, at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, former President Yoon Suk-yeol's legal team, including lawyer Kim Gyeri, stated their position regarding the first trial verdict in which Yoon was sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges of deploying a drone to Pyongyang, North Korea, allegedly to create a pretext for declaring martial law on December 3rd. Screen capture from Yonhap News TV broadcast. Photo by Yonhap News.

Kim Gyeri, the lawyer who was seen in tears immediately after former President Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced to 30 years in prison in the first trial on the 12th for allegedly sending a drone to Pyongyang to provoke a North Korean attack, explained, "The reason I cried was not because the former president was sentenced to 30 years," but because I was terrified after realizing how many spies there are."

On the 13th, Attorney Kim wrote on her Facebook, "The reason I cried was not because the president was sentenced to 30 years," and added, "I didn't even cry when a life sentence was handed down for leading an insurrection."

She continued, "The only time I cried while preparing for this defense was when I was analyzing orders from spies within the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and I became horrified and scared after realizing just how deeply embedded and numerous these spies are in our society."

On the verge of tears after the verdict: "I never once thought a guilty verdict would be handed down"

Attorney Kim was seen on the verge of tears as she left the court after the verdict, telling reporters, "While preparing for this case, I never once thought a guilty verdict would be handed down."

Attorney Kim also argued that this trial should have been public. She wrote, "I believe this case, of all cases, should have been broadcast and recorded," and added, "I am certain that if the trial had been broadcast and made public, they would not have dared to hand down a guilty verdict."

She further said, "Despite the difficulties, I took on this intense defense with joy because I could see the security perspective of the Yoon administration and the deep patriotism of our military." She then expressed concern, stating, "What's even more dismal is that one of the two appellate court panels specializes in insurrection cases."

Attorney Kyeri Kim (left) and former President Seokyoul Yoon. Photo captured from Facebook

'Drone Deployment' Yoon Suk-yeol sentenced to 30 years in first trial..."Provoked North for Martial Law"

Meanwhile, on the 12th, the 36th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jeongyeop) sentenced former President Yoon, who was indicted on charges including general treason—an offense under foreign exchange law—to 30 years in prison. For the first time in constitutional history, a former president was found guilty of general treason in a court of law. Kim Yonghyeon, former Minister of National Defense, who was indicted alongside Yoon, was also sentenced to 30 years in prison, while Yeo Inhyeong, former Commander of the Defense Security Command, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The court stated, "The defendants utilized 'psychological warfare,' a military operation designed to provoke North Korea and create a situation for martial law, in order to induce provocations. Through this, they sought to create armed conflict or heightened military tension, thereby engineering a national security crisis." The court added, "They endangered the lives and property of the Korean people and military, and used the nation’s military power for private purposes unrelated to national security or territorial defense."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.