Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for 'Insurrection'

Former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae has been sentenced to a heavy prison term for his involvement in the December 3 insurrection.
The Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Jin-kwan of the 33rd Criminal Agreement Division, sentenced Park to 25 years in prison today (June 22) on charges including engaging in important duties of insurrection and abuse of power.
The sentence is five years longer than the 20-year term requested by the special counsel team led by Cho Eun-seok.
The court ordered Park to be taken into custody immediately, citing the risk of evidence destruction.
The court found Park guilty of engaging in important duties of insurrection by sequentially participating in the insurrection crimes of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Following the declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, Park convened a meeting of senior Justice Ministry officials, where he ordered the review of dispatching prosecutors to the Joint Investigation Headquarters, checked the capacity of correctional facilities, and instructed staff in charge of exit bans to report to work.
The court also found him guilty of abuse of power for ordering the check of correctional facility capacity and the attendance of staff responsible for exit bans.
Furthermore, the court ruled that he abused his power by ordering the Prosecution Division of the Ministry of Justice to draft a "power abuse document" containing justifications for martial law immediately after it was lifted.
In explaining the sentencing, the court rebuked Park, stating, "The defendant, thinking that the insurrection might succeed, ultimately turned a blind eye to his duty to protect the Constitution and instead chose to participate in it."
However, the court dismissed the charges regarding his inappropriate instructions to subordinates after receiving a request from First Lady Kim in May of last year to investigate the circumstances surrounding the formation of a dedicated investigation team for the luxury bag scandal at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
The court reasoned that this specific incident did not fall under the scope of investigation defined by the Special Counsel Act on Insurrection.
Additionally, the court dismissed the charges against former Minister of Government Legislation Lee Wan-kyu, who was indicted for perjury before the National Assembly for claiming that there was no discussion regarding martial law during a meeting at a safe house held immediately after martial law was lifted.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.