Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges including participation in important duties related to insurrection

Former Justice Minister Park Sungjae, who was indicted on charges of participating in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 3 martial law declaration, was sentenced to 25 years in prison at the first trial and taken into custody in court. The Criminal Division 33 of the Seoul Central District Court found that former Minister Park played a significant role in the insurrection by convening a senior Ministry of Justice meeting, instructing a review of dispatching prosecutors to the Joint Investigation Headquarters of the Martial Law Command, and checking the capacity of correctional facilities to hold detainees. The court also found him guilty of ordering the drafting of documents intended to justify martial law after it was lifted. The court pointed out that former Minister Park abandoned his duty as Minister of Justice, who is supposed to uphold the Constitution, and sided with the insurrection. It ruled to dismiss the indictment on some of the charges mentioned together, saying they were not subject to the special counsel's investigation.