Former interior minister sentenced to 7 years over role in martial law decree

Former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min sits in the defendant’s chair at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, Seoul, Oct. 17, 2025, during the first hearing of his trial on charges including playing a key role in an alleged insurrection. Korea Times photo by Park Si-mon

The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday sentenced former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min to seven years in prison for his role in ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, including relaying orders to cut electricity and water to certain media outlets.

This is the second time a member of the former president's Cabinet has been convicted in a lower court over the martial law crisis, following last month’s 23-year prison sentence for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

In its ruling, the court said that the actions of Yoon and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun — including their attempts to block access to the National Assembly — constituted an insurrection carried out with the intent to undermine the constitutional order.

The court noted that the martial law declaration temporarily suspended civil liberties in Seoul and granted authorities sweeping powers over the capital, allowing them to control movement, communications and access to government facilities.

The judges emphasized that these measures were not prompted by immediate security threats but were instead orchestrated from the top to consolidate political power, reflecting what they described as a "self-coup" attempt.

The court also found that Lee had received direct instructions from Yoon to cut electricity and water supplies to specific media outlets on the night martial law was imposed.

The judges determined that Lee’s actions — relaying the orders and ensuring they were executed — amounted to a "significant functional role" in the alleged insurrection, highlighting his active participation in implementing the top-down measures.

However, the court stopped short of convicting him on charges of abuse of authority in connection with the utility cutoff orders, noting that while his conduct was instrumental in the execution of Yoon’s directives, it did not constitute a separate act of legal abuse under the relevant statutes.

Citizens watch news coverage of a lower court ruling on former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min for his role in ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s 2024 martial law declaration at Seoul Station, Thursday. Yonhap

Lee was indicted on charges of participating in what prosecutors described as an insurrection. They argued that he had relayed instructions from Yoon to the police and fire authorities, ordering them to cut off utilities to specific media organizations.

Prosecutors also accused Lee of effectively aiding the imposition by failing to oppose it, despite serving as the minister responsible for public safety and emergency affairs at the time.

He also faces perjury charges relating to his testimony during Yoon’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, where he stated that he neither received nor conveyed any orders to cut electricity or water supplies.

The special counsel team had sought a 15-year prison sentence, describing the Dec. 3 declaration as a “self-coup” that mobilized state coercive forces, including the military and police. They argued that Lee played a “critical role” in executing the plan and, as interior minister, was responsible for safeguarding citizens’ lives and safety.

Lee, however, has denied all allegations throughout the trial. During questioning, he rejected the prosecution’s characterization of the martial law declaration as an insurrection. “It is a creative notion to equate martial law with insurrection," he said. "Martial law is martial law, and insurrection is insurrection.”

In his final statement to the court, Lee said he had no prior knowledge of the plan and could not understand how he was alleged to have played a major role.

“Even if the series of measures taken that day were to constitute insurrection, I still cannot comprehend how I could have taken on a significant role without prior planning or conspiracy, in just a matter of minutes,” he said.

A key issue in the case was whether Lee’s alleged relay of orders to cut utilities played a significant functional role in the alleged insurrection. Prosecutors pointed to CCTV footage from the presidential office and phone records to argue that Lee was aware of the directive and acted on it.

Lee’s defense maintained that he neither received any formal documents nor issued any operational orders, describing his phone calls as routine inquiries made in a chaotic situation.

The ruling comes weeks after a separate panel of the same court, which sentenced the former prime minister, described the Dec. 3 events as an insurrection "initiated from above" and characterized it as a form of "self-coup." In that case, the court also held that a failure to prevent the declaration — so-called omissions — could constitute participation in the crime.