National Defense Ministry Submits Data to Assemblyman Moon Geum-joo
Kim Yong-hyun, the former Minister of National Defense, who has been indicted on charges of rebellion, is confirmed to have started receiving military pensions from this month. According to the data the Ministry of National Defense submitted to Democratic Party Assemblyman Moon Geum-joo, Kim began receiving pensions after submitting a retirement report in December last year.
Kim had been temporarily suspended from receiving the pension when he was appointed as the Chief of the Presidential Security Service in May 2022, but he has now been reinstated as a pension recipient. Military Pension Act Article 38 restricts pension payments if a service member receives a sentence of imprisonment or higher or is discharged due to disciplinary actions. Additionally, pension payments can be suspended during ongoing investigations or trials that could lead to imprisonment or more severe penalties.
However, Kim reportedly resigned voluntarily in December last year, thus not falling under the “disciplined personnel.” Article 38 of the Military Pension Act applies to circumstances during military service only, and the ministerial position is not considered part of military service. Therefore, Kim will regularly receive his military pension starting this month. It is estimated that Kim’s monthly pension will exceed 5 million won. He had previously received a pension from 2017 until May 2022, just before he took up the role of Chief of the Presidential Security Service, last year reportedly receiving around 5.33 million won per month.
Meanwhile, Kim submitted a retirement payment application last month on the 10th. He applied by mail to the Government Employees Pension Service for retirement benefits corresponding to his terms as President’s Chief of Security and National Defense Minister. The retirement date was noted as the 5th of last month, when President Yoon Suk-yeol approved the dismissal plan, and the reason for retirement was recorded as “general retirement,” not dismissal or removal. It was reported that the section for criminal records was marked as “none.”
Regarding this, Kim’s side explained that “the application for retirement benefits was conducted by the relevant department following the retirement from the ministerial position.” However, the Ministry of National Defense questioned whether the retirement payment application could be handled at the departmental level.