Military brass given lengthy prison terms for involvement in Korea’s 2024 insurrection

Several former South Korean military commanders have been handed lengthy prison sentences for their involvement in the insurrection that took place in the country in December 2024. 

 Yeo In-hyeong, who was the commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command at the time, and Lee Jin-woo, who was then the commander of the Capital Defense Command, were among those who stood trial for conspiring in advance with former President Yoon Suk-yeol to declare martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, and leading the deployment of troops to the National Assembly.

 This marks the first court ruling regarding former military commanders indicted on charges of insurrection.

 The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yeo, who was indicted on charges of participating in an insurrection and abusing authority to obstruct the exercise of rights, to 18 years in prison, and Lee to 15 years.

 The court also sentenced Moon Sang-ho, who was then the chief of Korea’s Defense Intelligence Command, Park An-su, who had been the commander of the martial law troops, and Kwak Jong-geun, who was the commander of the Army Special Warfare Command at the time, to 12, 10, and 9 years in prison, respectively.

 These top brass were charged with, among other things, storming the National Assembly and the National Election Commission following the declaration of martial law and attempting to arrest politicians critical of the then-administration.

 The court found all authorities guilty on all charges.

 “Acts that render constitutional institutions unable to exercise their authority or nullify the functions of the Constitution cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. The crime of insurrection endangers the very existence of the state and directly infringes upon the fundamental democratic order enshrined in the Constitution. It is so severe, it cannot be compared to any other crime,” the bench stated.  

 However, applying the penalty-reduction provision in the special counsel bill to investigate insurrection charges allowed Kwak to receive a sentence of 10 years or less for cooperating with the investigation. His cooperation involved testifying about Yoon’s orders to “break down the doors and drag [lawmakers] out [of the National Assembly.]”

 The court ordered that Lee, Park, and Kwak, who had been standing trial without being detained, be taken into custody immediately.