Seoul: A Seoul court has delivered prison sentences to two men involved in a courthouse riot that unfolded in January, marking an unprecedented social crisis. The disturbance was ignited by a controversial ruling concerning the extension of detention for Yoon Suk Yeol.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Western District Court sentenced a 35-year-old man, identified by his surname Kim, to 1 1/2 years in prison, while a 28-year-old man, surnamed So, received a one-year sentence. Both men were charged with trespassing at the district courthouse in western Seoul on January 19.
This case represents the first court ruling related to the courthouse riot. Kim and So were part of a larger group of protestors who stormed the court's premises shortly after a warrant was issued to extend Yoon Suk Yeol's arrest. The warrant followed Yoon's brief imposition of martial law in December, which had sparked widespread controversy.
Both men faced charges of damaging property during the break-in, with Kim also being charged with assault for pushing police officers. Prosecutors had initially sought longer sentences, requesting three years for Kim and two years for So.
The court's ruling emphasized the seriousness of the crime, describing it as an example of the "force of the masses" challenging the judiciary. "The results of the crime in its entirety at the time is horrendous," the court stated. "It is a crime that took place due to obstinacy and obsession to immediately punish and retaliate against the issuance of a warrant by the Republic of Korea's judiciary by interpreting and defining it as political conspiracy."
During the first hearing of the case on April 30, both men admitted to all charges against them. A sentencing hearing for four other individuals, accused of assaulting police officers and reporters and participating in the break-in, is set for Friday.
In February, prosecutors revealed that they had indicted a total of 63 people in connection with the riot.