Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun Re-arrested Just Hours Before Release

Kim Yong-hyun (김용현), the former Minister of National Defense, was re-arrested on June 25, just three hours before his initial detention was set to expire. The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 34, presided over by Judge Han Seong-jin, issued a warrant for his arrest around 9:10 PM on charges of obstructing official duties through deception and instructing evidence destruction. The court cited a high risk of evidence tampering as the reason for the re-arrest.

During the hearing for the arrest warrant, Kim's legal team argued that the special prosecutor's illegal indictment was being supported by the court, submitting four requests for the recusal of the judges. However, the court dismissed all requests, stating that the intent to delay proceedings was evident, allowing the judges to reject the motions directly under criminal procedure law.

Previously, Kim was arrested and indicted on December 27 of last year for allegedly advising former President Yoon Suk-yeol to declare a state of emergency and directing military personnel to be deployed to the National Assembly, facing charges of insurrection and abuse of power. His initial six-month detention period was set to end on June 26.

In anticipation of this, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 25, which is handling Kim's insurrection case, had granted him bail on June 16, allowing for his release under conditions including a 100 million won bond, residence restrictions, and a prohibition on contacting related parties. However, Kim's team rejected the court's decision, claiming it was an illegal extension of his detention, and chose to remain in custody.

Following this, special prosecutor Jo Eun-seok, who is investigating insurrection and foreign exchange charges against former President Yoon and others, filed additional charges against Kim on June 18, requesting a new arrest warrant for obstruction of official duties and evidence destruction.

When the Criminal Division 34 scheduled a hearing for the new arrest warrant, Kim's legal team again filed for recusal, claiming they were not given a fair opportunity to defend themselves. The court, however, did not accept this and proceeded to issue the new arrest warrant for Kim.