A court hearing to decide whether to extend the detention of former Defense Counterintelligence Command chief Yeo In-hyung, who was indicted on charges of sending unmanned aerial vehicles to Pyongyang to create grounds for declaring the Dec. 3 martial law, was held on the 16th.
The Criminal Agreement Division 36 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jeong-yeop) held a detention warrant hearing for the former commander, Yeo, indicted on charges of aiding the enemy and abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights, starting at 2:30 p.m. that day. The hearing is a process in which the court listens to the views of the prosecutor and the defendant to determine the need for the defendant's detention, and it was held behind closed doors that day.
Under the Criminal Procedure Act, the maximum detention period at the first trial is six months, but if the need for detention is recognized due to indictment on another case or charge, an additional warrant can be issued after a court review. The current detention deadline for the former commander Yeo is until Jan. 2 next year. If an additional warrant is issued, the former commander Yeo would be detained three times in a row on different charges, and if it is dismissed, Yeo would be released about a year after being detained in December 2024.
The former commander Yeo was detained on Dec. 14 last year and indicted on Dec. 31 on charges including engaging in important duties in insurrection for allegedly mobilizing Defense Counterintelligence Command agents during the martial law, and ordering the arrest of key figures such as the ruling and opposition party leaders and the seizure of the National Election Commission's computer servers. As the detention period was nearing expiration, on June 23 the military prosecutors, in consultation with the special counsel for the insurrection case, additionally indicted the former commander Yeo on perjury charges and requested the court to issue a warrant, and the Central Regional Military Court issued an additional warrant on June 30. Subsequently, on the 10th of last month, the special counsel again indicted the former commander Yeo on charges of aiding the enemy and abuse of authority and applied to the court for another additional warrant.
The special counsel believes that former commander Yeo, former President Yoon Suk-yeol, and former Minister of the Ministry of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun ordered the Drone Operations Command around October last year to infiltrate unmanned aerial vehicles into Pyongyang, provoking North Korea to heighten military tensions and using that as grounds for the martial law. The special counsel also requested additional detention for former Minister Kim and former President Yoon, and the court held a hearing for former Minister Kim on the 12th. The hearing date to decide whether to additionally detain former President Yoon is set for the 23rd.