Charges Including Threats
Court: "Endangering the Free Democratic Basic Order"
Sentenced to 1 Year Imprisonment
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A man in his 40s who posted death threats against President Yoon Suk-yeol and former President Moon Jae-in on an online community and even made Molotov cocktails himself was sentenced to imprisonment in the first trial.
Judge Jang Young-chae of the Criminal Division 2 at the Seoul Western District Court announced on the 20th that he sentenced Mr. A (41), who was tried on charges of threats and violation of the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Using Molotov Cocktails, to one year in prison on the 11th.
Mr. A is accused of posting threatening messages twice against President Yoon and former President Moon at his residence in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, around April 28. According to the prosecution, he posted articles titled “Let’s kill Yoon Suk-yeol and Moon Jae-in and complete the second April 19 Revolution” and “Let’s attack Yongsan Police Station and Yongsan Defense Ministry building to overthrow the government” on an online community.
In the first post, Mr. A wrote content to the effect of “On May 9 at midnight, carrying Molotov cocktails, attack Yongsan Police Station at Exit 1 of Namyeong Station, seize firearms and police vehicles, gather to forcibly occupy the government building, and enter President Yoon’s residence to pull him down from power.” He then added in the second post, “Let’s create a new government by our own power, not one that is a puppet of Japan and the United States,” and “Let’s dissolve all the XX in the National Assembly.”
Mr. A is also accused of manufacturing Molotov cocktails using empty soju bottles at his residence the day before and storing them until May 6.
The court stated, “The defendant’s crimes threatened people with different social and political views and police institutions that maintain public order, endangering the free democratic basic order where various claims and values coexist based on human dignity,” and pointed out, “The nature of the crime is bad and the blameworthiness is high.”
However, the court explained the sentencing reasons, saying, “The defendant has fully confessed and shown remorse, and did not actually throw the Molotov cocktails or proceed to violent acts,” and “The defendant’s family has also pledged to guide him.”
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