Kim Yonghyun Faces Possible Additional Detention One Day Before Release...Decision Expected Today

Arrest Warrant Hearing Scheduled for the Morning of the 25th
Kim's Motion to Recuse the Bench Dismissed

The decision on whether to extend the detention of former Defense Minister Kim Yonghyun, who was the first person indicted by the special prosecutor's team led by Cho Eunseok for insurrection, is expected to be made as early as June 25. If an additional arrest warrant is issued on this day, just one day before the expiration of his current detention period, it is highly likely that former Minister Kim will remain in custody for another six months while standing trial.

Yonhap News

The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 34 (Presiding Judge Han Sungjin) will hold a hearing on the arrest warrant for former Minister Kim at 10 a.m. on this day.

Previously, on June 18, the special prosecutor for insurrection, Cho Eunseok, filed additional charges against former Minister Kim for obstruction of official duties by deception and for instigating the destruction of evidence, and requested the court to issue an additional arrest warrant. This measure was intended to prevent his unconditional release on June 26, which would occur upon the expiration of the six-month detention period for the first trial.

The Criminal Division 34 of the Central District Court, which was assigned the case, initially set the hearing for former Minister Kim’s arrest warrant for the afternoon of June 23. On the morning of that day, ahead of the hearing, former Minister Kim’s legal team filed a motion to recuse all members of the bench, arguing that, according to the Criminal Procedure Act, the hearing process should be immediately suspended. Taking these circumstances into account, the court postponed the hearing from June 23 to the morning of this day.

Additionally, former Minister Kim’s legal team filed a motion to recuse the bench, criticizing Criminal Division 34 for focusing solely on detention. On June 24, however, the court dismissed the motion. While recusal motions are generally reviewed by a different bench, the assigned bench may dismiss the motion if it is deemed clearly intended to delay proceedings.

The decision on whether to extend former Minister Kim’s detention is expected to be made as early as the afternoon of this day.

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