Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun instructed an unofficial aide to destroy the files on his desk after the short-lived martial law ended early on Dec. 4, just hours after it was declared, according to prosecution records unveiled Sunday.
Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea released files from the prosecution's investigation into Kim for his part in the Dec. 3 martial law declaration. They showed a civilian surnamed Yang destroyed the files after receiving the instruction on Dec. 5, moments after Kim's resignation was accepted.
Yang, who has been described by the Democratic Party as a "de facto secretary for Kim," despite not holding an official post of the government.
Yang told the investigators that he Kim gave instructions to "destroy all files on the desk of my second floor office" at his ministeral residence. He said it took about three hours to shred all the files, and that he also destroyed Kim's laptop with a hammer at Kim's instruction.
Yang also said Kim stayed at the minister's residence all day, "talking with someone."
Despite his earlier statement to prosecutors, Yang refused to testify on this matter when he appeared before a National Assembly committee on Jan. 22.
Kim is currently under arrest for investigation on suspicion of insurrection and power abuse in connection with his role in President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration on Dec. 3. A close confidant of the president, Kim said he was the one who wrote the martial law decree that was accused of being unconstitutional.
The decree bans activities of lawmakers, which the president does not have the authority to do.
Kim told the prosecution that he had an unidentified aide destroy the laptop he wrote the decree on. It is unclear if this particular aide is Yang, or if the computer mentioned in Kim's statement is the same one that Yang said he destroyed.
President Yoon is also being investigated for leading the alleged insurrection, and is under impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court. The 11th and final hearing of the impeachment trial is set to take place on Tuesday, and his criminal trial started last week.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
