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Captain America cosplayer who attempted to storm Chinese embassy gets 18 months in jail

Published: 28 May. 2025, 15:56 Updated: 28 May. 2025, 16:48

Ahn, holds up a placard saying ″Protect President Yoon Suk Yeol's human rights″ while wearing a costume of Captain America at the National Human Rights Commission of Korea's building on Feb. 10. [NEWS1]

The Korean Captain America cosplayer who attempted to break into the Chinese embassy and a police station in February was sentenced to prison.

Ahn, a 42-year-old man who was indicted and detained for the attempted break-ins during the impeachment trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in his first trial on Wednesday. Prosecutors had demanded a 3-year sentence for what they called a “grave” crime.

The Seoul Central District Court recognized Ahn’s charges, which included attempted trespassing, destruction of public property, defamation and forgery of private documents.

“He committed the crimes with the intent of attracting public attention to achieve his personal and political goals,” said the court. “Severe punishment is inevitable to protect public authority and the legal order of the state. He blatantly displayed contempt for the police during the crime.”

Ahn rose to fame for showing up in a Captain America costume at rallies in support of former President Yoon during the impeachment trials. He was arrested by police on Feb. 14 after attempting to trespass into the Chinese embassy in Myeong-dong, central Seoul.

On Feb. 20, while under investigation, he attempted to break into the Namdaemun Police Precinct by smashing the glass door on the first floor, claiming that authorities should “investigate me faster.”

A man wearing Captain America's iconic costume shows up at the National Human Rights Commission of Korea's building in Seoul on Feb. 10. [YONHAP]

Ahn also faces charges of forging and using private documents after presenting a fake U.S. military ID to police, claiming he was a black ops agent for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The prosecution discovered he had purchased five counterfeit IDs of major foreign agencies — including the CIA, Israel’s Mossad, Interpol and the UN Department of Safety and Security — via overseas websites.

Ahn was discharged from the military with the rank of sergeant and has no record of travel to or from the United States.

He was also cited as a “U.S. military source” in an article published on Jan. 17 by far-right news outlet Skye Daily, which falsely reported that 99 “Chinese spies” had been arrested by martial law forces at the National Election Commission’s training institute on Dec. 3. The journalist who wrote the article is also under investigation.

Ahn wearing Captain America's iconic costume blocks an elevator in the National Human Rights Commission of Korea's building in Jung District, central Seoul, on Feb. 10. [NEWS1]

Ahn was also involved in other articles by the newspaper claiming that the spies — captured by “Donald Trump’s Black Ops agents” named Michael, Gabriel and Raphael — were detained in “a black site” managed by the United States in Naha, Japan.

“I admit to all the crimes I have committed and sincerely apologize to everyone who was harmed,” said Ahn, who was indicted on March 17, during the final hearing on April 25. “I will not commit the same or any similar offenses again.”

Ahn was a former member of the now-defunct far-right Korean Patriots' Party and ran for a seat in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, in 2018.

The cosplayer also gained notoriety in 2011 when he claimed he was the descendant of Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910) on the online community Ruliweb while posting pictures of his dieting progress.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]