Ex-Presidential Aide Kang Ui-gu's 18-Month Sentence Upheld

Kang Ui-gu, former first deputy chief of staff to the president who created an official document titled 'Martial Law Proclamation' after the December 3 emergency martial law, has had his 18-month prison sentence finalized. The Supreme Court's First Division on the 27th dismissed the appeals filed by both Kang, who was indicted on charges including the creation of false official documents, and the special prosecution, upholding the lower court's ruling.

Kang was referred to trial on charges of drafting the cover page of the martial law proclamation on December 6, 2024, after the emergency martial law was lifted, obtaining the signatures of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and then receiving former President Yoon Suk Yeol's signature the following day. The document was dated December 3, 2024 — the day martial law was declared — rather than the date it was actually created.

The Supreme Court upheld the lower court's finding that Kang was guilty of drafting the false document to make it appear as though the martial law declaration had been carried out based on a document prepared in advance.