Seoul: Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun received a three-year prison sentence on Tuesday for deceiving the Presidential Security Service to secure a phone for use after former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Central District Court found Kim guilty of obstruction of official duties by deception. Kim obtained the secure phone on December 2, 2024, and handed it to Noh Sang-won, a civilian and former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command. Noh used the phone as the head of an investigation team examining election fraud allegations under Yoon's martial law.

Kim was also convicted of instigating the destruction of evidence by ordering his aide to eliminate all martial law-related documents on December 5, 2024, one day after the decree was revoked by a National Assembly vote.

The three-year sentence is below the five years recommended by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team. Kim's case marked the first indictment by the team, which was established last June to investigate the allegations surrounding Yoon's martial law initiative.

The court noted that Kim's lack of prior criminal convictions served as a mitigating factor in the sentencing. Meanwhile, an appellate trial is ongoing for another case, where Kim was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his involvement in an insurrection related to the martial law attempt.