Top court upholds guilty verdicts for 18 people in courthouse riot related to Yoon's martial law bid
Workers repair the outer wall of the Seoul Western District Court, Janunary 20, 2025, after supporters of former president Yoon Suk Yeol stormed into the court building and held a riot, damaging property, after the court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon. Korea Times photo by Chung Da-bin
The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed guilty verdicts for 18 people for their participation in a courthouse riot in January last year over a court decision to keep former President Yoon Suk Yeol in custody over his failed martial law bid.
The top court upheld lower rulings that handed out prison sentences or suspended terms to 17 individuals indicted on trespassing and other charges in connection with the riot at the Seoul Western District Court in the early hours of Jan. 19, 2025.
It also maintained a 2 million-won ($1,346) fine for documentary filmmaker Jung Yoon-suk on trespassing charges, despite his claims that he merely entered the premises to record the event.
The riot was sparked by the court's decision to extend Yoon's detention over his short-lived imposition of martial law the previous month. Yoon's supporters, who had been holding a rally outside the court, broke into its compound, smashing windows and damaging court property.
One of the defendants was sentenced to four years in prison for assaulting a police officer and breaking a glass door with a steel bar, while another received a three-year sentence for damaging a door lock by kicking a door.
Following the sentencing, the documentary filmmaker said he could not accept the ruling, noting that he would review filing a constitutional appeal.
In February last year, prosecutors initially indicted 63 people over their alleged involvement in the riot.
Following the riot, Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae voiced concerns over the incident, calling acts of terror against judges a "total denial of the rule of law."