Lawmakers from the People Power Party, charged with obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant against Yoon Suk Yeol, denied the allegations during their first court appearance.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 35, presided over by Judge Baek Dae-hyun, held the initial preparatory hearing on October 13 for lawmakers Kim Ki-hyun, Kwon Young-jin, Na Kyung-won, and Yoon Sang-hyun, who face charges of obstructing special public duties.
All defense attorneys claimed their clients were not guilty. While they acknowledged visiting the presidential residence to express political views, they asserted that there was no assault, threats, or use of physical force against the special prosecutor's office inspectors or investigators.
Na's attorney stated, "We only expressed political views at the scene, and there was no use of force, assault, or threats," while the attorneys for Yoon Sang-hyun and Kwon Young-jin emphasized that there was no intent to obstruct official duties or use physical force.
In particular, Kim's attorney argued that the special prosecutor's team lacked investigative authority and violated the principle of indictment by submitting only one indictment to the court.
The court also criticized the second comprehensive special prosecutor's team, led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young, for poorly drafting the indictment. The court pointed out that while the special prosecutor applied the charge of obstructing special public duties, the indictment did not specifically detail any assault or threats against public officials.
The court noted that some applicable legal provisions were omitted and questioned the special prosecutor, asking, "Why was that part not included? Did you not read the indictment?" It also highlighted the inconsistency in the indictment, which referred to the defendants as acting jointly despite charging them individually.
In response to the court's comments, the special prosecutor indicated they would consider applying for a revision of the indictment. The court scheduled another preparatory hearing for November 5 at 11 a.m. before concluding the session.
The four lawmakers, including Na Kyung-won, are accused of forming a so-called "human wall" with 60 to 70 supporters of former President Yoon in front of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, on January 15, 2026, obstructing the execution of the arrest warrant by the special prosecutor's office and police.
According to the special prosecutor's investigation, Kim was positioned at the front line of the entrance, while Yoon and Kwon were in the second line, and Na was in the third line, effectively blocking access. The special prosecutor concluded that they delayed the investigators' entry for about two hours, despite receiving multiple warnings from the inspectors on site that they could be arrested.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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