KCTU and FKTU on Yoon’s Life Sentence: “Pursue Responsibility to the Very End”

KCTU: "Life sentence is lenient compared to his atrocities"
FKTU: "Acknowledge wrongdoing and apologize to the people"

The labor movement welcomed the first-instance ruling sentencing former President Yoon Sukyeol, who was indicted on charges of being the ringleader of the insurrection, to life imprisonment, while at the same time stressing that he must be held accountable to the very end.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) issued a statement on the 19th, saying, "Today's life sentence is not the end but the beginning," and added, "A thorough investigation and pursuit of responsibility must follow for the forces that planned, abetted, and shielded the insurrection."

Citizens are watching a live broadcast of the first-instance sentencing of former president Yoon Sukyeol, who was indicted on charges of leading an insurrection related to the Dec. 3 emergency martial law, near the Seoul Central District Court on the 19th. Yonhap News

The KCTU assessed, "Compared to the atrocities he committed, life imprisonment is in fact a lenient sentence and merely the minimum judicial punishment for the insurrection." It went on to say, "Regarding the fact that some of the charges resulted in not-guilty verdicts, there must be a rigorous social assessment of whether the full picture of the insurrection and the structure of responsibility have truly been brought to light," adding, "The prosecution and the court must thoroughly dig into these aspects as well in the appellate trial."

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) also issued a separate statement, urging that he must demonstrate an attitude of taking responsibility himself for having undermined democracy. It continued, "Using the power entrusted by the people to destroy the constitutional order amounts to denying the very foundations of the democratic republic, and there can never be tolerance or leniency for such acts," adding, "In that sense, this ruling is entirely natural."

The 25th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Ji Guyoun) on this day sentenced former President Yoon to life imprisonment on charges of being the ringleader of the insurrection. Former Defense Minister Kim Yonghyun, who was brought to trial on charges of performing critical duties in the insurrection, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The court determined that former President Yoon's actions met both the "purpose of disrupting the constitutional order" and the "uprising" requirements, which are the elements for establishing the crime of insurrection under the Criminal Act.