Prosecutors Seek 7-Year Sentence for Jo Tae-yong in Appeal Over Emergency Martial Law Perjury

Special prosecutors have requested a seven-year prison sentence for Jo Tae-yong, the former head of the National Intelligence Service, in his appeal trial related to perjury during the emergency martial law situation on December 3.

During the appeal hearing held on July 27 at the Seoul High Court, presided over by Judge Yoon Seong-sik, the prosecution reiterated its request for a seven-year sentence for Jo, who faces charges of dereliction of duty, violations of the National Intelligence Service Act, violations of the National Assembly Witness Protection Act, and perjury. This request matches the sentence sought in the first trial.

The prosecution argued, "The defendant attempted to justify the emergency martial law and conceal the fact of illegal arrest orders," urging the court to recognize all charges previously deemed not guilty in the first trial as guilty.

In his final statement, Jo expressed, "I was most flustered and found it hard to accept when I was questioned by investigators on the night of December 3 about evading responsibility. I regret not being able to prevent the emergency martial law, and while I acknowledge my shortcomings in handling the situation, I have not lived my life evading responsibility."

The court is scheduled to deliver its ruling on Jo's appeal on August 19.

Jo was indicted for providing false testimony to the Constitutional Court, claiming he had not received any documents related to the martial law from former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and for submitting a similar response in an official document under the National Intelligence Service's name.

In the first trial, two of the charges were found guilty, resulting in a sentence of one year and six months for Jo. However, he was acquitted of charges related to failing to report to the National Assembly about plans to mobilize the military to block the Assembly and arbitrarily detain politicians, based on reports from former National Intelligence Service Deputy Director Hong Jang-won.