A court has begun a detention hearing for Kim Myung-soo, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is accused of participating in an insurrection during the declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024.
On June 15, the Seoul Central District Court's chief judge for detention warrants opened the pre-trial hearing at 9:30 a.m. to assess the necessity of Kim's detention.
Kim entered the courtroom early, possibly to avoid media scrutiny. Special prosecutors Kim Jung-min and Kwon Young-bin were present for the hearing.
Kim is facing trial for allegedly failing to prevent military involvement in the National Assembly while overseeing the situation from the command center during the martial law declaration. He is accused of participating in the formation of the martial law command.
The special prosecution team identified this case as its first major investigation after its establishment in March, charging Kim and other key military figures with insurrection-related offenses.
The prosecution believes that Kim, as the highest-ranking military officer, was aware of the legal violations during the martial law declaration and the deployment of troops to the National Assembly but did not take appropriate action.
Notably, despite receiving reports from his staff indicating issues with the martial law declaration process and recommending the withdrawal of troops from the National Assembly, Kim did not intervene with then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and proceeded to help establish the martial law command, which the prosecution cites as crucial evidence of his involvement in the insurrection.
In contrast, Kim's defense team denies all allegations, arguing that the martial law declaration was conducted under an abnormal structure where the Defense Minister directly commanded the martial law forces, and that Kim was completely excluded from the decision-making process, rendering him unable to exercise command authority.
Additionally, the court is set to conduct sequential hearings for three other key figures involved in the martial law operations: Jeong Jin-pal, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Lee Jae-sik, former Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Operational Readiness Inspection; and Kim Heung-jun, former Director of the Army Headquarters Policy Office.
A decision on Kim's detention is expected to be made later today, possibly in the afternoon or late at night.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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