Four Sentenced to Prison for Court Intrusion and Assault on Journalists During Western District Court Disturbance

Participants who broke into the court or assaulted journalists during the disturbance at the Western District Court in January have been sentenced to prison.

On September 10, Judge Kim Minjeong of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 9 sentenced Yoo (44) and Je (40), who were indicted on charges including aggravated assault, to one year and ten months in prison, respectively.

They were brought to trial for assaulting two MBC reporters near the Seoul Western District Court in the early morning of January 19, following the news of former President Yoon Sukyeol's arrest. They were also accused of hitting a victim's back with a police baton, seizing a camera battery, and demanding to see photos and videos on a mobile phone.

Judge Kim explained the sentencing by stating, "The journalists who were harmed suffered injuries requiring two weeks of treatment, had their camera memory cards and batteries taken away, and experienced significant physical, psychological, and professional disruption to their work."

However, the judge noted, "The defendants did not actually enter the interior of the court, and this was taken into account in assessing their level of involvement."

Judge Kim also sentenced Oh (38), who was indicted on charges including aggravated trespassing, to one year and six months in prison, and Seo (65), who was indicted on similar charges, to two years and six months in prison.

Oh was charged with breaking into the building during the Western District Court disturbance, pushing police officers during the standoff, and grabbing their shields. Seo was accused of entering up to the court entrance with other protest participants and attempting to damage court property by throwing broken tiles at the court windows.

Judge Kim emphasized that these were serious crimes undermining the foundations of the rule of law and liberal democracy, and explained that strict punishment was unavoidable as the defendants continued to deny their wrongdoing.