Seoul: A court on Monday sentenced retired Army Maj. Gen. Noh Sang-won to two years in prison for collecting the personal information of military intelligence officers in connection with last year's martial law. Noh, a former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command (DIC), was also ordered by the Seoul Central District Court to forfeit 24.9 million won (US$17,000) for accepting bribes from subordinate officers.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this is the first court sentence among cases handled by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition on Dec. 3 last year. Cho's team had demanded a three-year imprisonment for Noh in the previous hearing.
Noh was indicted for receiving military intelligence, including personal information of DIC agents, from military commanders between September and December last year in order to create an organization to investigate allegations of election fraud. He was also charged with accepting 20 million won in cash and department store gift certificates worth a total of 6 million won between August and September last year from a brigadier general and a colonel in exchange for his promise to help their promotions.
The bench found Noh guilty of all charges in the indictment, noting he had intervened in personnel matters involving his junior officers through personal ties with the incumbent defense chief and had them play key roles while he led preparations for the declaration of martial law. The court emphasized that Noh's actions were a significant driving force behind the martial law declaration, marking the first time a court has recognized its illegality.
The court stated that Noh's crimes could not be assessed merely as violations of the Personal Information Protection Act or as acceptance of property through arrangement. They resulted in an unconstitutional and unlawful declaration of martial law, thereby warranting grave accountability. However, the court considered that the list of DIC agents was not leaked outside the military and that the alleged favors in exchange for bribes were not realized.
Noh was known to be a close confidant of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was arrested for involvement in Yoon's martial law declaration.