Special Prosecutor Seeks 3-Year Sentence for Park Jong-jun in Evidence Tampering Case

The special prosecutor's team investigating the insurrection case has requested a three-year prison sentence for Park Jong-jun, the former head of the Presidential Security Service, who was previously acquitted of charges related to deleting information from a secure phone used by former President Yoon Suk Yeol during a state of emergency on December 3.

On July 14, the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 12-2 held the first hearing in Park's appeal regarding the evidence tampering charges. The special prosecutor's office urged the court to overturn the lower court's ruling and impose a three-year sentence.

The prosecution argued that Park was aware that the secure phone contained crucial evidence related to the insurrection and impeachment cases and that he intentionally destroyed it.

They explained, "After the declaration of a state of emergency, there were reports of accusations against former President Yoon, and the National Assembly was discussing impeachment proposals, all of which were covered extensively by the media."

The prosecution emphasized that the information stored on the secure phone was essential for investigators, stating, "As the highest security official for the president, Park had more investigative experience and information-gathering capabilities than an average citizen, making it clear that he recognized the phone records as key evidence in Yoon's criminal case and impeachment proceedings."

In response, Park's defense attorney argued, "The secure phone screen of former National Intelligence Service Deputy Director Hong Jang-won was made public, leading to a security breach regarding the president's secure phone ID, device structure, and model. Park requested security measures from the Security Service and instructed his staff to take appropriate actions."

The defense also contested the prosecution's claims of intentional evidence destruction, asserting, "This is not valid. The actions taken were part of fulfilling the duty to maintain security assigned to the head of the Presidential Security Service."

Park Jong-jun, speaking in his defense, stated, "Throughout my 30 years in public service, I have always prioritized the law and principles, respecting the opinions of field personnel. In this case, while there may have been haste or short-sightedness in our judgment, I never intended to protect the president unlawfully."

The court plans to hold another hearing on August 11 to conduct evidence examination and witness questioning before concluding the arguments.

Park is facing trial for allegedly deleting call logs from secure phones used by Yoon, Hong, and former Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong-sik on December 6, 2024, using a remote logout method.

Previously, the first trial court ruled, "It is difficult to acknowledge the intent to destroy evidence simply because the actions taken were insufficient or could have been handled better in hindsight," resulting in an acquittal.

Additionally, Park was sentenced to four years in prison in a separate case for obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant against former President Yoon, and he was taken into custody following the ruling on July 9.