Special Prosecutor Requests 5-Year Prison Sentence for Yoon Over 'Lee Jongseop Escape to Australia' Charges
Special Prosecutor: "Aided Escape to Conceal the Crime"
The special prosecutor’s team for the fallen marine case (Special Prosecutor Lee Myunghyun) has requested a five-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was indicted on charges of helping former Defense Minister Lee Jongseop, then under investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), escape to Australia.
On the 24th, at the sentencing hearing held by the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Agreement Division 22 (Presiding Judge Cho Hyungwoo) for charges including harboring a criminal and abuse of authority, the special prosecutor’s team made this sentencing request for former President Yoon. Regarding Cho Taeyong, former Director of the National Intelligence Service (who was then Head of the National Security Office), who was indicted for harboring a criminal along with Yoon, the team requested three years in prison. For Jang Hojin, former Head of the National Security Office, the team requested a two-year sentence.
The special prosecutor’s team also asked the court to sentence Lee Siwon, former Presidential Secretary for Public Office Discipline, to two years in prison; Park Sungjae, former Minister of Justice, to three years; and Sim Woojung, former Prosecutor General (who was Vice Minister of Justice at the time), to two years.
The special prosecutor’s team stated, "Former President Yoon helped Lee escape to Australia for private purposes—specifically, to cover up his own crimes—and for political reasons ahead of the general election at the time," adding, "He not only interfered with the criminal justice system of the state, but also neutralized its very operation, directly infringing upon the state's authority to investigate crimes."
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Former President Yoon is alleged to have conspired with officials from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Security Office, and the presidential office from around September 2023 to appoint Lee as an ambassador to facilitate his escape to Australia after Lee was listed as a suspect in the investigation into allegations of external pressure on the investigation.
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