Court Orders Additional Detention for Sangwon Noh... Up to 6 More Months in Custody

"Risk of Flight and Evidence Destruction Acknowledged"

Former Intelligence Command Chief Sangwon Noh, accused of premeditating the emergency martial law on December 3 and drafting the proclamation, is being transferred to the prosecution on the 24th at the Seoul Western Police Station in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

Former Defense Intelligence Command Chief Sangwon Noh, who was indicted on charges of insurrection and treason related to the December 3 Emergency Martial Law incident, has been additionally detained by the court on separate charges.

The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Agreement Division 21 (Chief Judge Hyunbok Lee) conducted a warrant review on July 7 for violations of the Personal Information Protection Act and charges of receiving bribes for influence peddling. After the review, the court issued a detention warrant, stating, "There is a risk of flight and a possibility of evidence destruction." As a result, Noh is expected to be additionally detained for up to six months.

This decision is interpreted as the court accepting the argument of Special Prosecutor Unseok Cho's team, which claimed that if Noh were released, there was a possibility he might coordinate statements with accomplices and destroy evidence.

The court has the authority to manage the custody of an already indicted defendant and can decide on additional detention at its own discretion without a separate warrant request. The special prosecutor additionally indicted Noh on June 27 for violating the Personal Information Protection Act and requested detention, and the court has now issued the warrant.

Previously, Noh was indicted on January 10 for participating in a major insurrection mission and for abuse of power, and was undergoing his first trial. His previous detention period was set to expire at midnight on the 9th.

In addition to the personal information leak charges, the court has decided to merge and review the case in which Noh is accused of receiving money after being solicited by an active-duty soldier for a promotion (receiving bribes for influence peddling under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes).

With Noh now in custody, the special prosecutor plans to focus its investigation on clarifying the meaning, background, and possible premeditated scenarios for martial law declaration, as referenced in the "Sangwon Noh Notebook" with phrases such as "inducing a North Korean attack," "drone infiltration into Pyongyang," and "retrieval."