‘Bed Pleading’ Attorney for Kim Yong-hyun Says He ‘Completed His Mission’... Ha-Sang Lee: ‘Postponing Yoon’s Sentencing Was Agreed in Advance’

As the closing arguments for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and others were postponed amid controversy over delays caused by the lengthy arguments of Kim’s defense team, Kim’s attorney conveyed that “we secured time, and the president’s defense team is very grateful.” The remark is being seen as an admission that the strategy was deliberately to “run out the clock.”

Attorney Ha-Sang Lee, a member of former minister Kim Yong-hyun’s defense team, hosted a live broadcast on the YouTube channel “The Advancing Lawyers” on the 10th and, speaking about the previous day’s closing arguments, assessed that “we completed what we had to do.”
The previous day, the hearing before Criminal Division 25 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Jee Kui-yeon, on charges that former President Yoon led an insurrection and that former minister Kim Yong-hyun, former National Police Agency Commissioner General Jo Jiho and five other senior military and police officials engaged in important duties in support of the insurrection, ended at about 12:11 a.m. the following day—14 hours and 50 minutes after it began—without completing the closing arguments. On that day, Kim’s defense team conducted documentary evidence examination for more than 10 hours.
Lee said, “Some may think our defense team’s lengthy arguments interfered with the president’s defense team and disrupted their summation, but that is not the case. We coordinated the order and content in advance,” adding, “We were to fight most aggressively at the front line and pull the proceedings forward—that was the agreement.”
He went on, “Once we set the broad direction and scope, the other attorneys and, in the end, President Yoon would cover everything that came out and address anything left out. Isn’t that impressive?” he added.


Lee reiterated, “We in no way infringed on the president’s defense team’s right to argue or took away their time. On the contrary, we pulled from the front, said everything that needed to be said at length, and secured time, so the president’s attorneys were very grateful.”
He continued, “The reason is that they obtained an additional full day to present their arguments. From our perspective, we are grateful, and our cooperation with the president’s defense team is going very well,” stressing, “We are satisfied because the president’s defense team has secured one final, intact hearing date.”
After calling out the names of the defense attorneys one by one and describing them as “proud fighters,” Lee also pulled up an article recounting what the defense team did during the closing arguments hearing and evaluated their performance.
Referring to attorney Kwon Woo-hyun’s response to the special prosecutor’s request to “move the proceedings along more quickly”—Kwon had said, “If I speak fast, my tongue is short and I get tongue-tied”—Lee commented, “How cool is that,” and added, “I am so proud. They did an excellent job.”
Lee also said, “Because the hearings are being broadcast, we must use this as an opportunity to inform the public as much as possible,” adding, “That is how we can win this fight. This is not just a legal battle in court; it is a combination of political and legal struggle.”

Lee also directed criticism at Judge Jee Kui-yeon.
Commenting on an online remark that read, “If Jee Kui-yeon doesn’t dismiss the indictment, we’ll put him on trial,” Lee said, “That’s right. That’s how we must seize the hegemony,” and then added, “Is Jee Kui-yeon on our side? Absolutely not, everyone. Don’t be fooled by such talk. We must fight to the end.”
He further stated, “Who decides whether the conditions for declaring emergency martial law have not been met? Do the prosecutors decide? Do the judges decide?” using harsh language, before correcting himself: “Ah, if I use the word ‘punks,’ people might see that on the broadcast, so let me say this: prosecutors cannot decide, and judges cannot decide.”
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter