The appeals court ruling for former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who was indicted over alleged orders to cut power and water to news outlets during the Dec. 3 martial law, will be delivered on the 12th.
According to legal sources on the 10th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Yoon Sung-sik) will hold the sentencing hearing in the appeal of the former Minister, who was indicted on charges including engaging in important duties related to insurrection, at 3 p.m. on the 12th.
The former Minister is accused of receiving from former President Yoon Suk-yeol, during the Dec. 3, 2024 martial law situation, instructions related to sealing off the National Assembly and other key institutions and cutting power and water to news outlets, and then asking the National Fire Agency chief at the time for cooperation.
During the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial hearings for the former president in February last year, an additional charge was applied for allegedly giving false testimony to the effect that "there was no order to cut power and water, and there was never any related instruction from the president."
At the closing hearing of the appeal, the special counsel team argued that the abuse of authority charge should also be found guilty and sought the same 15-year prison term as in the first trial.
The first trial court found the former Minister guilty of both engaging in important duties related to insurrection and perjury, and sentenced Lee to seven years in prison. However, it rendered a not-guilty verdict on the abuse of authority charge that alleged he made the National Fire Agency chief and frontline fire stations perform duties not required by law.
The court held that the former Minister had general authority to direct the National Fire Agency, but determined that there was insufficient evidence to recognize that the agency and frontline fire stations actually performed tasks outside their legal obligations.