'Pyongyang Drone Allegations' Commander Kim Yongdae Faces Detention Hearing...Decision Expected Tonight at Earliest
Emergency Arrest and Detention Warrant Issued After Consideration of Will
Charges of Fabricating Official Documents and Abuse of Authority
The decision on whether to detain Kim Yongdae, the key suspect in the 'Pyongyang drone infiltration allegations' and the commander of the Drone Operations Command, could be made as early as July 21.
Nam Sejin, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, began the pretrial detention hearing for Commander Kim at around 3 p.m. on this day.
Commander Kim, who was urgently arrested and held at Seoul Detention Center, appeared in court transported by a Ministry of Justice vehicle. The special prosecutor's team for insurrection is expected to argue during the hearing that detention is necessary due to concerns about destruction of evidence and flight risk, considering Commander Kim's unstable psychological state, among other factors.
On July 17, Commander Kim was questioned by the special prosecutor's team as a suspect on charges including general acts of treason under the Criminal Act, in connection with the Pyongyang drone infiltration allegations. The special prosecutor's team urgently arrested him on July 18, citing concerns for his safety. It is known that Commander Kim recently wrote a will.
On July 20, the special prosecutor's team applied for a detention warrant for Commander Kim on charges of falsifying official documents and abuse of authority.
The special prosecutor's team believes that Commander Kim fabricated documents to conceal the fact that the Drone Operations Command sent a drone to Pyongyang, North Korea, in October of last year. They also believe that Commander Kim instructed his subordinates to create false documents, thereby compelling them to perform duties they were not obligated to carry out.
The decision regarding Commander Kim's detention is expected to be made late in the evening of this day or in the early hours of July 22 at the earliest. After securing Commander Kim's custody, the special prosecutor's team plans to continue additional investigations into foreign exchange-related charges.
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The special prosecutor's team believes that former President Yoon directly ordered the Drone Operations Command to deploy a drone to Pyongyang in October of last year, bypassing both the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, when the special prosecutor's team indicted former President Yoon on July 19, they did not include foreign exchange charges, in order to conduct further investigation.
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