The Supreme Court has begun hearings on the case of Lee Sang-min, the former Minister of the Interior and Safety, who is accused of playing a key role in insurrection during the martial law declared on December 3, 2024.
On June 9, the Supreme Court assigned Lee's case to a panel consisting of Justices Lee Heung-gu, Oh Seok-jun, Noh Kyung-pil, and Lee Suk-yeon, with Justice Lee Heung-gu serving as the presiding judge.
Lee is charged with receiving orders from former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to block access to key institutions, including the National Assembly, and to cut off power and water supplies to media outlets. He is also accused of directing the then-Head of the Fire Agency to cooperate with the police.
Additionally, he faces allegations of providing false testimony during the constitutional court's impeachment trial of former President Yoon in February of last year, claiming he did not receive documents regarding the power and water cut orders and did not issue cooperation directives to the Fire Agency.
In the first trial, most of the charges against Lee were upheld, resulting in a seven-year prison sentence. However, the appellate court deemed the original sentence too lenient, stating, "Despite the clear illegality of the martial law declaration, Lee has continued to deny his actions, evading responsibility and causing psychological distress to numerous firefighters." The appellate court then increased the sentence to nine years.
Both the special prosecution team investigating the insurrection and Lee have filed appeals against the appellate court's ruling.
Lee is also under investigation by a comprehensive special prosecution team regarding allegations related to the relocation of the presidential residence. He is accused of being involved in the illegal diversion of approximately 2.8 billion won from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's budget to pay an unqualified contractor, 21 Grams, during the presidential residence relocation project in 2022.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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