First-instance fines of 4 million won overturned;
Six months in prison, suspended for two years
Appeals by other union members dismissed
The sentences for union members who led a sit-in protest occupying the lobby of Daejeon City Hall, demanding the succession of employment for substitute childcare teachers, were increased on appeal.
On the 3rd, the Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Kang Gil-yeon) announced that it had overturned the first-instance fines of 4 million won each for defendants A and B, who were charged with violating the Act on Punishment of Violent Acts (joint refusal to vacate), and instead sentenced them to six months in prison, suspended for two years.
They were brought to trial on charges of occupying the first-floor lobby of Daejeon City Hall in December 2022, protesting that the city had not followed government guidelines regarding the succession of employment for substitute childcare teachers, and refusing to comply with the building manager’s repeated requests to vacate.
At the time, they staged a sit-in in the city hall lobby starting at approximately 4:25 p.m. The building manager asked them to leave three times-at 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., and 10:05 p.m.-after public officials’ working hours had ended, but they refused each time.
Defendant A led the protest, while defendant B pushed a security guard who was filming the sit-in with a mobile phone, causing the guard to fall to the floor.
The first-instance court stated, “After refusing to vacate, they did not escalate to violent or illegal protest, and they did not commit this offense for personal gain,” and sentenced them to fines.
The appellate court, however, found their crimes to be more serious.
The appeals court ruled, “Even considering the employment stability of substitute childcare teachers, occupying the city hall through illegal means while an outdoor rally was already underway cannot be justified. Moreover, A and B have prior convictions under the Assembly and Demonstration Act, which significantly increases the grounds for criticism.”
Appeals filed by 11 other union members, who were also charged for participating in the occupation and had been fined between 1 million and 2 million won, were dismissed.
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