34 student activists convicted of illegal entry into presidential compound, U.S. base

SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- A court on Thursday found 34 student activists guilty of trespassing on the then presidential compound and a U.S. military base between 2022 and 2024.

The Seoul Western District Court sentenced a senior leader of the Korean Progressive University Student Union (KPUSU) to a suspended four-month prison term and ordered 32 other members to pay fines ranging from 1 million won (US$756) to 6 million won. One other member received a deferred sentence of a 1 million-won fine.

Two others were indicted but acquitted.

The students faced multiple charges, including trespassing on a U.S. military installation in South Korea in August 2022 and March 2023 to stage rallies against joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.

In January and October 2024, they attempted to illegally enter what was then the presidential compound in Seoul's Yongsan Ward to demand the resignation of then President Yoon Suk Yeol and a special counsel investigation into then first lady Kim Keon Hee.

The court ruled that the defendants did not act on impulse but conspired in advance, such as by sharing picket signs with the same slogans before entering the U.S. base and gathering at an office to discuss specific execution plans ahead of their attempted entry into the presidential compound.

The court said their actions could have posed a threat to national security as the presidential office was located on the same compound as the defense ministry.

It further noted that while freedom of expression and assembly is guaranteed as fundamental rights, it is desirable that such rights are exercised within the framework of the legal order.