Seoul: A Seoul court has sentenced former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to a three-year prison term for leaking military secrets to a civilian prior to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law attempt in December 2024. The Seoul Central District Court found Kim guilty of conspiring with others to hand over sensitive information, detailing more than 40 military intelligence personnel, to Noh Sang-won, a retired general and former head of the Defense Intelligence Command (DIC), during October and November of 2024.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the court acknowledged special counsel Cho Eun-suk's argument that Kim and Noh intended to use the obtained list, which contained information on covert intelligence agents, to establish a special investigation unit under martial law. This unit was purportedly intended to investigate alleged election-rigging activities. The court emphasized that Kim exploited the military command system, enabling Noh, a civilian, to access the personal information of DIC agents, which led to what was described as an unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law.

The sentencing was less severe than the five-year prison term recommended by the special counsel team. Following the sentencing, Kim expressed his intention to appeal through a statement released by his lawyers, claiming the ruling was incorrect.

This conviction adds to Kim's legal troubles, as he was previously sentenced to 30 years in prison in February for his involvement in an insurrection related to Yoon's martial law bid, a ruling he has appealed. Additionally, Kim received another 30-year prison sentence last Friday for his role in deploying military drones into Pyongyang in an effort to justify Yoon's martial law declaration.