Former high-ranking military officials were indicted on charges of deploying troops to the National Assembly and the Central Election Management Committee, and forming and operating a political arrest team during the May 18 Democratization Movement. They have been sentenced to prison terms. Yeon In-hyeong, former commander of the ROK Military Intelligence Command, and Lee Jin-woo, former commander of the ROK Capital Defense Command, were each sentenced to 30 years in prison, while Park An-soo, former Chief of Staff of the Army, was sentenced to 25 years. The special prosecution criticized the defendants for turning the military into a private army of coup plotters and emphasized the need for strict legal accountability. While the defendants argued that they were following orders from their superiors, the special prosecution pointed out that their actions fundamentally undermined democracy. Sentencing is scheduled for September 21st.
