Additional 5-Day Contempt Detention for Lawyer Representing Kim Yong-hyun Over Courtroom Disruption Ultimately Not Enforced

[Financial News] The detention for contempt of court ordered against the defense lawyer for former Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea Kim Yong-hyun, who caused a disturbance in court, has in the end not been enforced.
According to the legal community on the 5th, the Seoul Central District Court had not executed the contempt detention order against attorney Kwon Woo-hyun, counsel for the former minister, by midnight the previous day.
Attorney Kwon was sentenced on December 4 last year to five days' detention for contempt of court, and such an order must be carried out within three months. Under Supreme Court of Korea rules, a contempt detention may not be enforced once three months have passed since the date of sentencing.
Earlier, Criminal Division 33 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Jin-gwan, was examining former Minister Kim as a witness in the trial of former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Han Duck-soo. During that process, Kim asked that attorneys Lee Ha-sang and Kwon Woo-hyun be allowed to participate in the proceedings as support persons with whom he had a relationship of trust, but the court rejected the request. After a dispute between the bench and the defense, the court imposed 15 days' contempt detention on the attorneys, but because their personal details had not been properly specified, they were released from the Seoul Detention Center after the execution was suspended.
After their release, they appeared on the YouTube channel "The Advancing Lawyers," where they openly criticized presiding judge Lee Jin-gwan, drawing criticism. The court later found problematic, among other things, attorney Kwon's remarks toward the bench such as "Are you picking a fight?" and "We will see you at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO)," and imposed an additional five days' contempt detention. They appealed to the Seoul High Court, but the appeal was dismissed, and the 15-day contempt detention remained in effect.
Attorney Lee Ha-sang began serving the 15-day contempt detention on the 3rd of last month and was released on the 20th.
theknight@fnnews.com Reporter Jung Kyung-soo Reporter