A South Korean court sentenced two men to prison on Wednesday ( May 14 ) for their part in a January riot, during which supporters of impeached ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol attacked a court building.
After a prosecutor extended Yoon’s confinement to the first sitting head of state to be detained over his quick passage to military law, protesters stormed the Seoul Western District Court in January of this year.
The protesters entered the court building and vandalized it using fire extinguishers to split doors and knock windows. At the field, they even attacked officers.
A judge spokeswoman told AFP that the Seoul Western District Court sentenced two men who were only identified by their names Kim, 35, and But, 28, to one year, six times, and one time in jail, both.
The event was a unique instance of political violence against the government’s court, which, according to experts, highlights the growing polarization that has become apparent as a result of Yoon’s December attempt to subvert civilian rule.
The judge stated in a statement following the ruling that” the overall goal of the crime was devastating.”
The men were driven by “obsession” to carry out “immediate reprisal” by the North Korean court’s decision and interpreted it as a “political conspiracy.”