Kim Yonghyeon's Detention Period Expires on the 26th
If Additional Warrant Issued, Detention May Be Extended by Six Months
The court has decided to postpone the detention warrant review for former Defense Minister Kim Yonghyeon to June 25. Kim's current detention period is set to expire on June 26, and a hearing will be held the day before his potential release to determine whether an additional detention warrant will be issued.
The 34th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Han Seongjin) held a detention warrant hearing for Kim on the afternoon of June 23 and announced, "Taking various circumstances into consideration, we will postpone the hearing to 10 a.m. on June 25."
Kim's legal team has strongly opposed the additional indictment by Special Prosecutor Cho Eonseok's team for the rebellion case, as well as the related request for an additional detention warrant, and has attempted to take legal action. On this day, Kim did not appear in court, while Special Prosecutor Kim Hyeongsu attended in person on behalf of the special prosecution team.
The court stated that it would continue to review whether to summarily dismiss the motion for recusal filed by Kim's side. A summary dismissal occurs when the court directly rejects a recusal motion if it is clearly intended to delay proceedings or for similar reasons.
The panel said, "We first considered whether to summarily dismiss the motion," adding, "For now, we will put this matter on hold."
However, the court decided to proceed with the detention warrant review. The panel explained, "According to precedent, the procedures that must be suspended refer to the main trial proceedings," and added, "Since this hearing concerns the issuance of a detention warrant, we will continue with the review."
Previously, Kim was indicted and detained on December 27 of last year on charges of performing important duties in a rebellion and abuse of authority, with his first-instance detention period set to expire on June 26. In response, Special Prosecutor Cho Eonseok indicted Kim again on June 18 on charges of obstruction of official duties by deception and instigation of evidence destruction, and requested the court to issue an additional detention warrant. Kim's legal team, who had been preparing for his release, immediately filed for a stay of execution, challenging the legitimacy of the additional indictment, but the Seoul High Court dismissed the request.
If an additional detention warrant is issued, it is highly likely that Kim will remain in custody and stand trial for another six months.
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