Kim Yonghyun Continues to Express His Position Through Letters
"Active-Duty Soldiers in Pain"?Calls for Suspension of Investigations
Refers to Western District Court Riot Suspects as "Patriotic Warriors"
Former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, who was arrested and indicted on charges of engaging in major tasks related to insurrection, has once again released a letter from prison through his legal team. In the letter released on the 3rd, Kim stated, "Active-duty soldiers are suffering not only defamation but also great pain due to illegal investigations and political oppression," and appealed for the suspension of investigations into active-duty soldiers related to the December 3 emergency martial law incident.
Former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun appeared as a witness at the 4th hearing of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 23rd, responding to direct questioning by President Yoon. January 23, 2025 Photo by Constitutional Court, Yonhap News Agency
He said, "Active-duty soldiers likely believed that it was their natural duty as soldiers to carry out their missions under the president, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, who declared the emergency martial law guaranteed by the Constitution, and under the minister's orders," emphasizing, "If political responsibility must be assigned, the minister will take full responsibility, so active-duty soldiers should not be held accountable."
A prison letter disclosed by former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun through his legal team. Photo by Kim Yong-hyun's legal team
He added, "Please protect the honor of the active-duty soldiers and help stop the political oppression," and "I ask for your strong support so that they do not lose courage and can faithfully perform their original military duties."
Kim also released a letter from prison through his legal team the day before. In the letter written on the 30th of last month, he stated, "The Republic of Korea has become a state of anarchy." He continued, "After impeaching and detaining the sitting president, impeachment motions have been proposed against about 30 public officials, including the Prime Minister," pouring criticism on the opposition party.
He also referred to those arrested in connection with the Western District Court riot as "patriotic warriors," saying, "Currently, about 60 patriotic warriors are detained. Although they are in difficulty due to some extreme actions, their patriotic loyalty will be remembered for a long time," which sparked controversy.
Kim was arrested and indicted on December 27 last year on charges of engaging in major tasks related to insurrection and abuse of power during the December 3 emergency martial law incident. He is accused of ordering the deployment of armed forces to block the National Assembly and prevent the resolution to lift martial law on the day of the emergency martial law declaration.
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