Chung Eui-yong, former head of the National Security Office, and Suh Hoon, former director of the National Intelligence Service, were sentenced to suspended prison terms in the appeals court for their roles in the forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen. Noh Young-min, former chief of staff to the president, was acquitted.
The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 15-3, consisting of judges Seong Eon-joo, Won Ik-seon, and Lee Hee-jun, sentenced Chung and Suh to 1 year and 6 months in prison, suspended for 3 years, for abuse of power under the National Intelligence Service Act.
Kim Yeon-chul, former Minister of Unification, received a 1-year prison sentence, suspended for 2 years. In contrast, Noh was found not guilty as the court determined he did not conspire in the abuse of power or participate in the repatriation decision.
The court reaffirmed its stance from the first trial, recognizing the North Korean fishermen's status as South Korean citizens and ruling that their basic rights were violated by the forced repatriation.
Chung and Suh were accused of ordering the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen who had expressed a desire to defect, despite being implicated in the murder of 16 fellow crew members in November 2019 during the Moon Jae-in administration. They were also charged with preventing the fishermen from exercising their right to a trial under South Korean law.
In February of last year, the first trial court suspended sentences of 10 months for both Chung and Suh, while Noh and Kim received suspended sentences of 6 months each.
The court acknowledged that their actions were illegal but decided to suspend the sentences considering the heinous nature of the crimes committed by the North Korean fishermen and the institutional gaps caused by the division of the Korean Peninsula.
A suspended sentence allows for a guilty verdict while postponing the actual sentencing for a specified period. If no further offenses occur within two years from the suspension date, the sentence is waived.
Earlier, the prosecution had sought prison terms of 5 years for Chung and Suh, 4 years for Noh, and 3 years for Kim during the appeals court's closing arguments in June.
Meanwhile, former President Moon Jae-in submitted a petition to the court in August, prior to the appeals ruling, urging for a not guilty verdict for Chung and the other three officials.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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