30s Break into Western District Court and Damage Property… Sentenced to 3 Years and 6 Months in Prison

[Financial News] A man in his 30s who participated in the riot at the Seoul Western District Court, breaking into the court building and damaging property, has been sentenced to prison.
The Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 9 (Judge Kim Min-jung) sentenced Mr. Lee (35), who was indicted on charges including special building intrusion and special public property damage, to 3 years and 6 months in prison on the 20th.
Mr. Lee is accused of entering the premises through the back gate of the Western District Court during a rally immediately after the arrest of former President Yoon Suk-yeol on January 19, breaking the entrance gate and the duty room window, and damaging the CCTV storage device.
During the trial, Mr. Lee's side argued that "since he entered through an open back gate, there was no intent to intrude, and there are issues with the submitted evidence," but this was not accepted. The court recognized the intent to intrude, stating that Mr. Lee entered the court premises while the police were controlling public access, and judged that he exercised collective power with other participants. The video copy submitted as evidence of the court intrusion was also deemed identical to the original.
The court stated, "Acts of directly attacking the court with physical violence in defiance of the court's decision fundamentally deny the rule of law," adding, "Our society can never tolerate this." It also explained that "the defendant actively used violence by breaking property with a police shield and metal sign, and revealed a violent intent to participate through photos and messages exchanged with acquaintances before and after the crime, thereby evading responsibility," making strict punishment inevitable.
However, the court added that it considered the fact that Mr. Lee is a first-time offender with no prior criminal record in the sentencing.

425_sama@fnnews.com Choi Seung-han Reporter