A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced former National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong to one and a half years in prison for perjury. He was found guilty of giving false testimony about martial law documents linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The Seoul Central District Court found Cho guilty of making false statements at the Constitutional Court. He had claimed he did not receive martial law-related documents from former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The court also convicted him of creating false public documents.
Prosecutors had sought a seven-year term that included charges of dereliction of duty. The court acquitted Cho on that count, stating it could not rule out the possibility that he viewed the plan as a rumor. The court said, "The defendant made false statements and created false public documents in order to reduce his own responsibility. The nature of the crime is not light."
The ruling stems from Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration in December 2024. As NIS director, Cho was required by law to report major national security matters promptly to the president and the parliamentary intelligence committee.
