Former Presidential Security Chief Park Jong-joon Gets 4 Years in First Trial; Prosecutors Seek 7 Years on Appeal
Park Jong-joon, former chief of the Presidential Security Service, who was sentenced to four years in prison in the first trial on charges of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk-yeol, faced a requested sentence of seven years at the closing hearing of his appeal trial. On the 30th, the special counsel team led by insurrection special prosecutor Cho Eun-seok requested a seven-year prison term for the former security chief at the closing hearing held before the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Yoon Sung-sik). The special counsel team requested seven years for former deputy security chief Kim Sung-hoon, five years for former security planning chief Lee Kwang-woo, and three years for former family security chief Kim Shin, who were also indicted, with the requested sentences all matching those from the first trial.
At the hearing, the special counsel team argued that the Presidential Security Service had destroyed the rule of law by resisting lawful law enforcement as if it were the president's personal bodyguard. They said the defendants had betrayed the public's trust and, as a result, dealt a severe blow to the service's very existence and credibility. The special counsel team pointed out that "the crimes were committed systematically to protect one man — 'insurrection leader Yoon Suk-yeol,'" adding that "this was not an impulsive response but something deliberately planned while closely monitoring the progress of the investigation."
In his final statement, the former security chief said, "During my four months as chief, I lived only in the presidential office and the Hannam-dong residence, leaving me unable to see beyond that narrow perspective," and added, "Spending time in a detention facility has given me much time for reflection." He continued, "There was much about my judgment and conduct that was foolish and shameful." In the appeal trial, the former chief has admitted to all of the charges and withdrawn the not-guilty arguments he made in the first trial.
The defendants were indicted on charges including obstruction of special official duties for interfering in January 2025 when the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials attempted to enter the residence to execute the arrest warrant for former President Yoon. In the first trial, the court sentenced former chief Park to four years and former deputy chief Kim to five years in prison and had them taken into custody, while sentencing former security planning chief Lee to two years and six months and former family security chief Kim to one year, both suspended for two years. The defendants and the special counsel subsequently all appealed the first-trial verdict.
The court will deliver its ruling at 3 p.m. on October 28.
