A Seoul court on Monday gave four defendants suspended prison terms after a courthouse riot tied to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law case included an assault on broadcast journalists. The court imposed one-year sentences, suspended for two years, r
A year after a tense protest at a Seoul courthouse escalated into a confrontation with the media, a court has now handed down suspended prison terms to four people over the assault of broadcast journalists.
On Monday, the Seoul Western District Court sentenced four individuals to one year in prison each, with the terms suspended for two years. They were convicted of special assault after prosecutors tied their actions to a riot connected to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The case centered on events during a protest on Jan. 19, when defendants trespassed onto the same court and collectively assaulted broadcast journalists. The protest was tied to the court’s decision to extend Yoon’s detention following his Dec. 3, 2024 declaration of martial law.
In court, the judge described how the rioters obstructed the victims’ movement and hurled insults, creating what the ruling characterized as a hostile atmosphere and a sense of pressure. The court also rejected an argument raised by some defendants that their actions were not intentional.
Yoon was removed from office last year after being found guilty of imposing martial law in December 2024. Multiple cases have been filed against him, and he is currently serving a life sentence in connection with the martial law ruling.
The sequence in this case stays consistent: a Dec.. 3, 2024 martial law declaration led to Yoon’s detention being extended, and on Jan.. 19 protesters moved to the Seoul Western District Court—where the court found the defendants obstructed and assaulted broadcast journalists during the courthouse riot.
South Korea court suspended sentence assaulting reporters courthouse riot Yoon Suk Yeol martial law declaration broadcast journalists Jan. 19 protest