Former Minister Lee Sang-min's Appeal Hearing Concludes

The appeal trial proceedings for former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min are set to conclude on the 22nd. The final hearing for the appeal trial, in which the former minister is being tried on charges of ordering power and water outages for media outlets during the 12/3 state of emergency, will conclude after the court's sentencing recommendation, the defense's final arguments, and the former minister's final statement. The Criminal Division 1, the special tribunal for sedition at the Seoul High Court, has designated a date for the sentence after concluding the pleading process.

Former Minister Lee is accused of receiving instructions from former President Yoon on December 3, 2024, to blockade key institutions such as the National Assembly and to order power and water outages for media outlets, and subsequently instructing the then-Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, Heo Seok-gon, to cooperate. He is also charged with perjury for allegedly testifying falsely during the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial proceedings last February that he had not received related instructions.

The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 32, which presided over the first trial, found former Minister Lee guilty of charges related to participating in crucial sedition tasks and perjury, sentencing him to seven years in prison. This sentence is lower than the 15-year prison term sought by the special prosecutor's team.