Kim Yong-hyun Appeals 30-Year Sentence for Drone Incursion into Pyongyang

Kim Yong-hyun, the former Minister of National Defense, has filed an appeal against his 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a drone incursion into Pyongyang, which was allegedly intended to justify the declaration of martial law.

According to legal sources on June 16, Kim's defense team submitted the appeal against the first-instance ruling related to charges of general treason and abuse of power. Alongside him, former Army Counterintelligence Commander Lee In-hyung also filed an appeal, while former President Yoon Suk Yeol appealed on June 12, the day of the sentencing.

The defendants are accused of using psychological warfare to provoke military provocations from North Korea, directing the infiltration of drones into Pyongyang around October 2024 to secure justification for declaring martial law. They also face allegations of abusing their authority to issue military orders.

Kim is additionally charged with conspiring with former Drone Operations Commander Kim Yong-dae to cover up the drone operation by manipulating the narrative that military assets lost during the operation were instead lost during training. This includes charges of obstructing official duties, creating false documents, and instructing others to create false documents.

On June 12, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 36, presided over by Judge Lee Jeong-yeop, sentenced Yoon and Kim to 30 years in prison, while Lee received a 15-year sentence, and Kim was given a three-year sentence with a five-year probation.

The court noted that Kim played a leading role in planning and directing the drone operation, resulting in a heavier sentence than the 25 years requested by the special prosecutor's team led by Jo Eun-seok.

The court stated, "The defendant, immediately after taking office as Minister of National Defense, directed operations to provoke North Korea while preparing intelligence personnel's duties for a potential martial law declaration. If the Joint Chiefs of Staff had not acted passively or opposed his orders due to suspicions about his intentions, the operations could have been executed more frequently, potentially leading to military conflict with North Korea."