Former Presidential Security Service Chief Park Jong-jun arrives at his first-instance sentencing hearing. (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Ryu Young-seok — Former Presidential Security Service Chief Park Jong-jun, indicted for obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant issued by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) against former President Yoon Suk Yeol, attends his first-instance sentencing hearing for charges including special obstruction of official duties at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 9th. [Yonhap News] 

Former Presidential Security Service Chief Park Jong-jun and former Deputy Chief Kim Sung-hoon, both indicted for obstructing the Corruption Investigation Office's execution of an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, were sentenced to prison and taken into court custody.

On the 9th, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Agreement Division 26 (Presiding Judge Lee Hyun-kyung) sentenced former Chief Park, who stood trial on charges including special obstruction of official duties, to four years in prison.

Co-defendants former Deputy Chief Kim received a five-year prison sentence, and former Security Headquarters Chief Lee Kwang-woo was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

Former Family Protection Department Head Kim Shin was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years.

Former Chief Park, former Deputy Chief Kim, and former Headquarters Chief Lee, all of whom received prison sentences, were immediately taken into court custody due to the risk of flight.

The court found all charges against former Chief Park and others guilty, stating they obstructed access to the presidential residence when the CIO attempted to execute an arrest warrant during their investigation into former President Yoon's insurrection charges last January.

The court also found the charge against former Deputy Chief Kim regarding his involvement in deleting encrypted phone data of three military commanders under former President Yoon's orders (violation of the Presidential Security Act) to be guilty.

The court rebuked them, stating, "The defendants used public officials under the Presidential Security Service to thwart a lawful warrant execution by investigative authorities under the illegal orders of Yoon Suk Yeol," adding, "This was a serious crime that utilized the organization and command structure of a state agency—the Presidential Security Service—to block the execution of a warrant for an extended period."

The court continued, "They systematically obstructed the investigation into Yoon Suk Yeol's insurrection and the legal process, rendering the state’s legal order ineffective, and creating risks of physical conflict with public officials. Given the motives and outcomes of these crimes, the nature of the offenses is grave and warrants significant condemnation."

Regarding former Chief Park, the court criticized him, saying, "As the person in charge of directing and supervising the entire Presidential Security Service, he was the final official responsible. Even if there were orders from Yoon Suk Yeol, he should have refused them."

Regarding former Deputy Chief Kim, the court stated, "He did not refuse Yoon Suk Yeol’s illegal orders, directed the deletion of information on encrypted phones to prevent investigative authorities from accessing it, and played the most active and hardline role in the process of obstructing the arrest warrant."

In the case of former Headquarters Chief Lee, the court explained that while it found him guilty of some charges of special obstruction of official duties, it took into account in its sentencing that he did not collude with the other defendants throughout the overall effort to block the arrest warrant execution.

Former Presidential Security Service Deputy Chief Kim Sung-hoon, indicted for obstructing the execution of a CIO arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, attends his first-instance sentencing hearing for charges including special obstruction of official duties at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 9th. 2026.7.9 ondol@yna.co.k