"The Press Was Illegal First"... CEO Park Sang-hak Claims Assault Was Self-Defense

CEO Park Sang-hak Claims Self-Defense in First Trial

Assaulted Reporters in June Last Year
Fired Gas Gun at Police Officer

Park Sang-hak, the representative of the Free North Korea Movement Alliance, is attending a trial held at the Seoul Eastern District Court on the 11th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] "The motive was self-defense in response to the illegal investigation and trespassing by the press."

Park Sang-hak, head of the Free North Korea Movement Alliance, who was indicted on charges of assaulting reporters who came to his home with a brick and shooting a gas gun at a police officer, denied the charges at the first trial, claiming that these actions were 'self-defense.'

According to the legal community on the 17th, Judge Kwon Deok-jin of the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 1 held the first trial on the 11th for Park, who was indicted on charges including special injury, obstruction of official duties, and violation of the Firearms and Ammunition Act.

Park was brought to trial on charges of throwing bricks and committing violence against the SBS TV 'Morning Wide' reporters who attempted to investigate at his home in Songpa-gu around 9 p.m. on June 23 last year, and spraying a gas gun at a police officer.

At the first trial, Park's side argued, "There was illegal investigation and trespassing by the SBS reporters," and "It was self-defense in response to that, so we claim not guilty." They stated that the reporters' failure to obtain prior permission constituted illegal investigation, and secretly passing through the apartment's locked communal entrance door to enter in front of the house was trespassing.

They also partially denied the charge of spraying the gas gun at the police officer, saying it was not aimed at the police. Park's side said, "He fired three times into the air without intent to assault," and "At the time, he was under personal protection, but he intended to reprimand the police for neglecting their duty, which allowed the reporters to come to his house."

Park's side also requested the court to consider that "The SBS reporters, who were countersued for communal trespassing and other charges, were all given prosecutorial discretion or cleared of charges by the prosecution, but they appealed last month, and the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office is currently investigating." Park countersued the SBS reporters for communal trespassing, but the prosecution gave prosecutorial discretion to three reporters and cleared one other reporter of charges.

Park's second trial is scheduled for March 22.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.