Police riot squad confronting protesters on January 19th 

All 49 individuals indicted for violence during the incident at the Seoul Western District Court have been found guilty in the first trial. 40 of them were sentenced to prison terms. 

On the 1st, the 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Woo-hyun) held a sentencing hearing for the 49 defendants charged with offenses including special building intrusion, sentencing them to fines, suspended prison sentences, or up to five years in prison.

Specifically, the sentences include 5 years (1 person), 4 years (1 person), 3 years and 6 months (1 person), 3 years (1 person), 2 years and 6 months (2 people), 2 years (6 people), and 1 year and 6 months (7 people).

Defendant Shim (19), who received the heaviest sentence of 5 years in prison, was arrested and indicted on charges of special building intrusion and special obstruction of official duties for assaulting police officers who were blocking entry to the courthouse during the disturbance at the Western District Court. He is also charged with attempted arson of an existing building for allegedly ordering another person to pour oil and throwing a paper set on fire with a lighter.

The court explained, "The defendant not only assaulted and used force against police officers in front of the court's rear entrance but also preemptively broke a window to infiltrate the courthouse. Furthermore, a heavy sentence is inevitable given the severity of the threat to judicial authority and public safety, such as purchasing a lighter at a nearby convenience store and attempting arson."

However, the court added that it took into account mitigating factors, such as the defendant admitting to the crime and expressing remorse, and the fact that he was under 19 at the time of the offense. 

Defendant Lee (48), a special missionary at Sarang Jeil Church who also participated in the Western District Court incident, was sentenced to 3 years in prison.

The court pointed out, "The defendant appears to have played a leading role in infiltrating the court. The extent of the disruption to peace is severe, and the culpability is heavy, as he committed the crime while serving a suspended sentence for special obstruction of official duties without reflecting on his actions."

Lee was indicted for breaking into the Western District Court immediately following the issuance of an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol in the early hours of January 19th, where he damaged the door of a judge's office on the 7th floor and searched the premises.

In addition, defendant Kang, who was arrested and indicted on charges including special building intrusion and attempted damage to special public property for assaulting police officers and striking the automatic glass door of the courthouse lobby with a fire extinguisher, and defendant Yoo, who was arrested and indicted on charges including special obstruction of official duties and damage to special public property for assaulting police officers and breaking the glass entrance door with a metal barrier, were sentenced to 3 years and 6 months and 4 years in prison, respectively.

Documentary director Jung Yoon-suk (44), who had claimed he entered the court with a camera for public interest purposes to document the event, was fined 2 million won.

The court determined, "The defendant appears to have only been filming with a video camera from the rear fence, maintaining distance from other protesters, and did not engage in any behavior that could be seen as demonstrating the power of a crowd."

Meanwhile, the court issued an explanatory statement following the sentencing, declaring, "Acts of attacking the court using illegal methods because one disagrees with the judicial process or its outcomes cannot be disguised under the name of freedom of expression."

Yonhap News