SEOUL: A South Korean court handed two men jail terms Wednesday for their role in a January riot which saw supporters of impeached ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol attack a court building.
Protesters stormed the Seoul Western District Court in January this year after a judge extended the detention of Yoon -- South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested -- over his brief imposition of martial law.
The protesters used fire extinguishers to break doors and smash windows, entering the court building and vandalising it. They also attacked police officers at the scene.
The Seoul Western District Court sentenced two men -- identified only by their surnames Kim, 35, and So, 28, -- to one year and six months, and one year in prison, respectively, a court spokesperson told AFP.
The case was a rare act of political violence against the country’s judiciary which experts warn underscores growing polarisation following Yoon’s attempt to subvert civilian rule in December.
“The overall outcome of the crime was devastating,“ the court said in a statement after the ruling was delivered.
The men interpreted the South Korean judiciary’s decision as a “political conspiracy”, and were driven by “obsession” to carry out “immediate retaliation”.
Yoon had been a lame duck president since the opposition Democratic Party won a majority in parliamentary elections in April last year.
In his televised address declaring martial law, Yoon railed against “anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness”, and his office subsequently cast the move as a bid to break legislative gridlock.
After his move, he garnered support from extreme religious figures and right-wing YouTubers -- many of whom have been linked to the January courthouse riot.
Yoon, who is currently on trial for insurrection, has been accused of tacitly encouraging the violence.
In early January, weeks prior to the riot incident, he sent a message to his hardline supporters warning that the country was “in danger” and pledging to stand with them “to the very end”.
