Special Prosecutor Seeks 30-Year Prison Terms for Ye Inhyung and Lee Jinwoo... "Military Reduced to Insurrectionists' Private Soldiers"

Special Prosecutor for Insurrection Seeks 30-Year Prison Sentences

Former Commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command Ye Inhyeong is attending the full meeting of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 7th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

The special prosecutor for insurrection has requested a 30-year prison sentence each for former Military Counterintelligence Command Commander Ye In-hyung and former Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jinwoo, who have been indicted on charges of leading troop deployments during the proclamation of the 12·3 Martial Law.

On July 24, during the sentencing hearing for Ye and others on charges including insurrection and participation in important mission duties at the Seoul Central District Court’s 26th Division for Criminal Trials (presiding judge: Lee Hyunkyung), Special Prosecutor Cho Eunseok announced the sentencing requests.

The special prosecutor requested a 30-year prison term for the former Commander Ye, citing that he had already been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the general crime of rebellion. For the co-defendant, former Commander Lee, the prosecution also requested 30 years in prison. In addition, former Army Chief of Staff Park Ansu was given a recommended sentence of 25 years, while former Special Warfare Command Commander Kwak Jonggeun and former Intelligence Command Commander Moon Sangho were each recommended 20 years imprisonment.

The special prosecutor stated, "The defendants were high-ranking officers representing the Korean military. Despite being fully aware of the consequences their actions would bring upon the country, the military, the people, and the soldiers, they involved the armed forces in the insurrection and reduced them to the private troops of the insurrectionists." The prosecutor also remarked that, due to the involvement of military leaders in the insurrection, "the nation’s credibility plummeted and there was a substantial negative impact on the overall macroeconomy."

In particular, for former Commander Ye, the prosecution emphasized, "From the conspiracy stage to the implementation phase of the insurrection, he acted in unity with his high school seniors, Yoon Seok-youl and Kim Yong-hyun, moving as if they were one. Not only did he participate in the specific planning of the insurrection, but he also played a leading role during its execution."

In the final defense, the counsel for former Commander Ye stated, "He deeply regrets that he was unable to prevent and instead carried out the unconstitutional and unlawful orders of the Minister of National Defense, who was his direct superior," but went on to argue, "There was no intention to undermine the constitutional order."

They are accused of having mobilized the military to participate in the insurrection by deploying troops to the National Assembly, the National Election Commission, and other vital institutions during the Martial Law on December 3, 2024. The trial was initially conducted at a military court, but when the defendants were dismissed from the Ministry of National Defense, the case was transferred to the Seoul Central District Court at the request of the special prosecutor’s team.

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