According to the legal community on Wednesday, the Supreme Court’s third division, with Justice Oh Seok-jun presiding, upheld lower-court rulings that sentenced 18 defendants, including a man identified by his surname Kim, to prison terms or suspended sentences on charges including aggravated trespass.
Prosecutors said the group forced its way into the court on Jan. 19 last year after the warrant was issued for Yoon. They assaulted police officers guarding the building and court employees, and searched for the judge who issued the warrant.
They were indicted for breaking court windows, damaging facilities and furnishings, and causing a disturbance inside the building. Some also faced additional charges, including aggravated unlawful confinement, after surrounding and damaging a vehicle belonging to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials as it returned to the Gwacheon Government Complex after completing its schedule. Prosecutors indicted 63 people over the incident on Feb. 10 last year.
In earlier trials, a first-instance court convicted 59 defendants, handing down sentences ranging from up to five years in prison to suspended terms. Of 49 people charged with aggravated trespass, 40 received prison terms, eight received suspended sentences and one was fined.
Thirty-six of the 59 appealed. In an appeals ruling issued in December last year, the court kept the original sentences for 16 and reduced sentences for 20, imposing shorter prison terms or suspended sentences. Eighteen then appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the rulings.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday also finalized a guilty verdict for documentary director Jeong Yun-seok, who said he entered the court with a camera to document the scene. He was fined 2 million won.
The appeals court said Jeong could not be deemed to have shown “the power of a crowd” because he separated from rally participants and only filmed after entering the grounds. But it added that court staff could not distinguish between Jeong’s entry and that of other defendants who entered the building.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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