'Western District Court Riot': Man in His 50s Denies Shutter Damage Charges, Claims "Fraudulent Election to Blame"

A man in his 50s, accused of damaging the court shutter during the Seoul Western District Court riot, denied the charges at his first trial on March 14, insisting, "The investigation should start with the fraudulent election, which was the root cause of the Western District Court incident and the declaration of martial law."

Yoon Mo (57), a special evangelist of Sarang Jeil Church involved in the Seoul Western District Court incident, is heading out on the 5th of last month to attend the pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review) held at the Western District Court. Photo by Yonhap News

On the afternoon of March 14, Park Jiweon, the presiding judge of Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Western District Court, held the first hearing for Yoon Mo (57) and another individual, both charged with special trespassing of a building and other offenses.

Yoon stated, "The reason so many young people gathered at the Western District Court was their anger toward the judiciary, which failed to take action against the fraudulent election," adding, "A joint investigation team into the fraudulent election should be formed first, so that the trial can proceed without any sense of injustice among the youth."

Yoon's attorney argued, "The defendant did not intentionally enter the court building," and admitted, "It is true that he pulled on the police shield, but it was an impulsive act in a highly charged situation." The attorney further stated, "He acknowledges and regrets pointing at the police and pulling on the shield."

Ok Mo (23), who is being tried on the same charges, postponed the confirmation of charges to a later date in order to review the case materials. Ok is accused of entering the duty office at the Western District Court on January 19 and damaging the exterior wall with a fire extinguisher.

The next hearings for Yoon and Ok are scheduled for 3:10 p.m. on April 9 and 10:20 a.m. on April 11, respectively.