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Riot suspects stand trial at the courthouse they allegedly ransacked

Published: 10 Mar. 2025, 18:39

MICHAEL LEE
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The interior of a ground-level office inside the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, on the morning of Jan. 19, several hours after rioters ransacked the courthouse. [YONHAP]

Fourteen suspects accused of taking part in the Jan. 19 mob attack on the Seoul Western District Court found themselves back in the same courthouse on Monday, this time for the first hearing of their trial on charges related to the riot.

The court in Mapo District, western Seoul, was attacked by a mob of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s supporters in the early hours of Jan. 19 shortly after it issued a formal arrest warrant against him on insurrection charges tied to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.

The suspects are being tried on charges of obstructing public officials from carrying out their duties, trespassing and destruction of public property.

The hearing opened at 10 a.m. with all 14 suspects in attendance. Four also attended a subsequent hearing to set their bail.

Six of the defendants have denied all charges against them, while five have decided to plead guilty while denying criminal intent.

One defendant has admitted to only some of the charges, while two others have yet to decide on a plea.

Their joint legal team has called on the court to acquit them, arguing that they “engaged in resistance against an illegal act by a state institution.”

One of the defendants, who has denied all of the charges, claimed he was arrested by police officers after falling down in the middle of the riot, while another said he merely “tapped on the windows” at the time the mob ransacked the courthouse.

During the attack, rioters broke several of the court’s windows, smashed tiles on its external walls and and destroyed equipment inside its offices.

One defendant who decided to plead guilty said he “admits to the charges and is full of regret” for his actions.

Another defendant said he was “penitent” but did not intend to obstruct the court’s official work by taking part in the riot.

He said he was swept into the courthouse as part of a moving crowd.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]