Former Gimu Unit Commander in 'Sewol Ferry Bereaved Families Surveillance' Case Sentenced to Suspended Prison Term

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The suspended prison sentence was confirmed for the former commander of the Military Security Command (MSC, now the Defense Security Support Command) who was indicted on charges of ordering surveillance of the bereaved families during the Sewol ferry disaster.

According to the legal community on the 31st, the Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Kim Sun-soo) upheld the original ruling that sentenced former MSC Third Division Chief Kim Byung-chul to one year in prison with a two-year suspension for abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

Kim, who served as the commander of the 310th MSC unit responsible for the Ansan area in Gyeonggi Province, was prosecuted for ordering his subordinate MSC personnel to conduct surveillance on the victims' bereaved families from the day of the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014 and for several months thereafter.

He was initially prosecuted as a military personnel and received a first trial verdict at the Military Court. However, in February last year, during the appeal process, he was discharged from the military, and the case was transferred to the civilian court, Seoul Central District Court.

Both the first and second trial courts recognized Kim’s guilt and sentenced him to a suspended prison term.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.