'Pro-Dajinyeon Members Who Stormed the People Power Party Headquarters Given Suspended Sentence in Second Trial'

Two members of the Korean University Students Progressive Union (Daejin-yeon), who broke into the People Power Party headquarters and staged a sit-in protest, were sentenced to suspended prison terms again in the second trial.

Members of the Korean University Students Progressive Union (Daejin-yeon) staged a sit-in protest in front of the People Power Party headquarters on March 9, demanding the resignation of Assemblyman Seong Il-jong, who sparked controversy with his "Ito Hirobumi remarks." On that day, seven members of Daejin-yeon broke into the People Power Party headquarters and were arrested on the spot on charges including trespassing. Yonhap News Agency

The Criminal Division 3-2 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judges Lee Sang-hoon, Yoo Hwan-woo, and Lim Jae-hoon) on the morning of the 5th sentenced Daejin-yeon members Lee (27) and Min (24), who were indicted on charges of jointly trespassing on a building under the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts and violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act, to four months in prison with a two-year suspension, the same as in the first trial.

The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "The defendants are currently under investigation and trial for similar or related crimes and have a high risk of reoffending," but added, "It does not appear that they entered the party headquarters with other criminal intentions, and the violence of the assembly was not severe."

Earlier, Lee and other Daejin-yeon members were arrested and indicted on charges of unlawfully entering the People Power Party Central Headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on March 9 and staging a sit-in protest demanding the resignation of People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong.

Lawmaker Sung sparked controversy by referring to It? Hirobumi, a Japanese politician who led the occupation of Joseon, as "a figure who brought a terrible situation to the Korean Peninsula and thus an unfortunate part of our history, but also a precedent of nurturing talented individuals earlier than us," and eventually issued an apology.