The insurrection special counsel team, led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, has requested a seven-year prison sentence for Park Jong-jun, former chief of the Presidential Security Service, who was indicted on charges of obstructing the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) from executing an arrest warrant against former President Yoon Suk-yeol following the December 3 emergency martial law declaration.
The special counsel made the sentencing request on Wednesday at the final hearing for Park's charges, including obstruction of special official duties, before the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Agreement Division 26, presided over by Judge Lee Hyun-kyung. The team also sought a seven-year prison term for Kim Sung-hoon, former deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service, who was indicted on the same charges. Prosecutors requested five years for Lee Kwang-woo, former head of the Security Headquarters, and three years for Kim Shin, former head of the Family Division.
"They committed the crime in an organized manner to protect a single person, Yoon Suk-yeol, the ringleader of the insurrection who declared illegal martial law," the special counsel said. "This was not a spontaneous response. They carefully monitored the progress of the investigation and prepared the crime in a planned manner."
The prosecution added, "Despite the full scope of the insurrection being revealed through multiple trials, there has been no sincere remorse or self-reflection." It stressed, "If these individuals are taken as a precedent and a perception spreads that one can physically resist investigations or trials that are unfavorable to oneself, the very foundation of the rule of law in the Republic of Korea could be shaken."
Park and the others were indicted in January last year on charges of obstructing the CIO's execution of an arrest warrant against former President Yoon. Yoon, who was tried separately on the same charges, was found guilty in both the first and second trials.
