'VIP Rage' Acknowledged by Kim Gye-hwan, Reverses Position After 2 Years... Facing Arrest

[Financial News] Kim Gye-hwan, former Marine Corps Commander, facing arrest for perjury related to the Chae Sang-byeong case, acknowledged in court on the 22nd that he received the so-called 'VIP Rage Rumor'. Under pressure from perjury charges, he changed his stance after 2 years, and the decision on his arrest is expected as early as that night.
Kim's lawyer, Kim Young-su, met with reporters after the pre-arrest suspect questioning (warrant review) at the Seoul Central District Court and stated, "During today's warrant review process, he acknowledged hearing that the President was angry."
However, he claimed, "He didn't hear it directly from the President or the Minister, but through unverifiable rumors," and "He couldn't say from whom or what specific details he heard until now."
He continued, "At that time, since the President and the Minister said they were not angry, he had to question 'Did I hear correctly?' and emphasized, "It wasn't a situation where he could dare to spread that the President was so angry."
When asked if he acknowledged conveying the 'VIP Rage Rumor' to Park Jeong-hoon, the Marine Corps Investigation Commander (Colonel), he said, "Since the Commander said he heard it, he probably mentioned it to Colonel Park as well."
During the arrest review that lasted about 2 hours, Kim's side argued that there was no risk of flight or evidence destruction, and claimed that the special prosecutor's team violated the law by infringing on the right to rest during the investigation, requesting the dismissal of the warrant.
On the other hand, the special prosecutor's team emphasized the need for arrest, stating that it was confirmed that Kim made clearly false statements. Jeong Min-young, the special prosecutor for Chae Sang-byeong, said in a briefing, "It was sufficiently confirmed through investigation that the testimony was false," and explained, "Considering the exchanged communications with military officials, there is a significant possibility of evidence destruction, necessitating arrest."
The hearing was presided over by Judge Nam Se-jin, the warrant judge at the Seoul Central District Court. Judge Nam had previously dismissed the arrest warrant requested by the special prosecutor team for Jo Eun-seok, the Drone Operations Commander, on charges of falsifying official documents. The Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor team, which requested the warrant that day, included Special Prosecutor Lee Geum-gyu and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Jeong-min.
Previously, the special prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Kim on the 18th on charges of perjury and violating the law on testimony and appraisal at the National Assembly. Kim, who was the highest commander of the Marine Corps during the Chae Sang-byeong death incident from July to August 2023, was identified as the person who conveyed the so-called 'VIP Rage Rumor' that 'former President Yoon Seok-yeol was enraged after receiving the initial investigation results' to Park Jeong-hoon, the former Marine Corps Investigation Commander.
However, after Colonel Park disclosed the rage rumor, Kim has claimed that he never conveyed such a story. While repeating the same testimony in the National Assembly and court, the special prosecutor's team's first attempt to secure custody in this warrant issuance is expected to be a watershed in the 'VIP Rage Rumor' investigation.  

scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter