Former National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong, center, appears for his arrest warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, Nov. 11, 2025. Newsis
A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Cho Tae-yong to 1 1/2 years in prison for making false testimony in connection with former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence for Cho, finding him guilty of making false testimonies at the Constitutional Court by saying he had not received martial law-related documents from Yoon.
It also convicted him of creating false public documents for submitting such written testimonies.
The sentence, however, fell far short of the seven-year prison term sought by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team, which had indicted Cho on other offenses, including dereliction of duty.
