"'No Trial Today,' Says Special Evangelist at Center of Seoul Western District Court Disturbance Before Leaving Courtroom"

Mr. Yoon (56), a special evangelist at Sarang Jeil Church and identified as the ringleader in the Seoul Western District Court disturbance, failed to avoid a prison sentence in his appeal.
On the 1st, the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 3-1 (Presiding Judge Ban Jeong-woo) dismissed Mr. Yoon's appeal on charges including special trespassing of a building and upheld the lower court’s sentence of 3 years and 6 months in prison.
When the court began reading the reasons for the verdict, Mr. Yoon protested, saying, 'Today's trial should not proceed,' citing insufficient witness selection. As the court announced the dismissal of his appeal, he left the courtroom. Mr. Yoon had been indicted for storming into the Seoul Western District Court building in January, lifting a court shutter, inciting a crowd, damaging public property, and threatening police officers.
Mr. Ok (22), known as the 'man in the black mask' and a co-defendant in the same case, received a reduced sentence. The Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 3-2 (Presiding Judge Jung Sung-kyun) took into account that the defendant reached an agreement with the police officers and deposited an additional 7 million won, overturning the first trial’s sentence of 3 years and 6 months in prison and sentencing him to 2 years and 10 months.
Two others, including Mr. Nam (36), who were also sentenced that day, received prison terms reduced by 4 to 8 months each.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the appeals trial for Mr. Moon (33), another participant in the disturbance, and Ms. Lee (38), the leader of the MZ Freedom Solidarity Corps, was held.
Mr. Moon was indicted for assaulting a video journalist covering the event in front of the Seoul Western District Court during the disturbance, causing two weeks of injury, and seizing a camera memory card. He received a sentence of 1 year and 2 months in prison, suspended for 3 years, in the first trial. In the appeals trial, he admitted to the assault but claimed he had no intention of trespassing into the court or taking the memory card.
Ms. Lee, who operated the open chat room 'MZ Freedom Solidarity Corps' established just before the violence, was indicted for throwing a 500ml plastic bottle at an outer window of the Seoul Western District Court, causing damage. She was sentenced to 1 year in prison, suspended for 2 years, in the first trial. In the appeals trial, her side questioned whether the window could have been broken by a bottle thrown by a woman and argued that the MZ Freedom Solidarity Corps was not created for any specific purpose. Ms. Lee also stated, 'Although I threw the bottle, I had no intention of damaging the court,' and expressed regret that a member of the chat room received a prison sentence.
The appeals verdict for both individuals is scheduled to be delivered on January 12 next year.

425_sama@fnnews.com Choi Seung-han Reporter