Former Presidential Security Service Chiefs Sentenced to Prison for Obstructing Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol

Park Jong-jun, former chief of the Presidential Security Service, and Kim Seong-hun, former deputy chief, have been sentenced to prison and taken into court custody for obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant issued by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) against former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Hyun-kyung of the 26th Criminal Division, sentenced Park to four years in prison today (July 9) on charges including special obstruction of official duties.
Kim Seong-hun was sentenced to five years in prison, while Lee Gwang-woo, former head of the security headquarters, received a two-and-a-half-year prison term.
Kim Shin, former head of the family security department, was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years.
Park, Kim Seong-hun, and Lee were immediately taken into custody following the sentencing due to the risk of flight.
The court found all charges against the defendants guilty, noting that they obstructed the entry of investigators into the presidential residence when the CIO attempted to execute an arrest warrant in January of last year as part of an investigation into former President Yoon for insurrection.
The court also ruled that Kim Seong-hun was guilty of violating the Presidential Security Act for his involvement in deleting information from secure phones belonging to three military commanders under the orders of former President Yoon.
The court stated, "The defendants used public officials under the Presidential Security Service to block the lawful execution of a warrant by investigative authorities, following the illegal orders of Yoon Suk Yeol." The court further pointed out, "This was a serious crime that utilized the organization and command structure of a state agency to block the execution of a warrant for an extended period."
The court emphasized, "They systematically obstructed the investigation into Yoon Suk Yeol's insurrection and the judicial process, rendering the state's legal order ineffective. Given the motives and consequences of the crimes, including the risk of physical confrontation with public officials, the nature of the offenses is grave and highly blameworthy."
Regarding Park, the court reprimanded him, stating, "As the person in charge of directing and supervising the entire Presidential Security Service, he was the final authority in terms of rank. Even if there were orders from Yoon Suk Yeol, he should have refused them."
On Kim Seong-hun, the court ruled, "He did not refuse Yoon Suk Yeol's illegal orders, directed that information on secure phones be hidden from investigative authorities, and played the most active and hardline role in the process of obstructing the execution of the arrest warrant."
As for Lee Gwang-woo, the court acknowledged that while some charges of special obstruction of official duties were proven, it took into account in the sentencing that he did not conspire with the other defendants in the overall obstruction of the arrest warrant execution.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.