The Seoul Central District Court acquitted two former South Korean Army brigadier generals in an insurrection case tied to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration, The Korea Herald reported Friday.
Koo Sam-hoe previously commanded the 2nd Armored Brigade, while Bang Jeong-hwan formerly led defense innovation planning at the Defense Ministry. Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk’s team had asked the court to sentence each man to seven years in prison, the newspaper reported.
The special counsel’s team accused the two of receiving instructions from a retired intelligence commander at a fast-food restaurant in Ansan about six hours before Yoon’s Dec. 3, 2024, declaration. The team said the assignment was to investigate allegations of election fraud.
The Korea Herald reported that judges said the men seemed unaware of specific plans and had not received paperwork related to the alleged tasks. The court found prosecutors had not established that the two intended to subvert the Constitution.
Yonhap reported that six additional former military officials also were acquitted over allegations involving troop deployments to the National Assembly and two election-related institutions during martial law. It said the court found prosecutors had not proved those officials intended to subvert the Constitution.
