'Sunoa-pa Simple Membership' Members Receive Suspended Prison Sentences in First Trial

Members of the violent gang 'Sunoa-pa,' whose affiliated members caused disturbances at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Seoul, received suspended sentences or deferred sentences in the first trial for simply joining and participating in the gang. However, recruiters who brought these members into the organized crime group were sentenced to prison terms.

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On the 29th, the 24th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Choi Kyung-seo) held a sentencing hearing for 24 Sunoa-pa members indicted for violating the Act on the Punishment of Violent Crimes (organization and activities of groups, etc.).

The court sentenced 18 members who had simply joined the gang to one year in prison with a two-year suspension, and two others received a one-year prison sentence with a deferred sentence and probation. However, Mr. A, who recruited members to join the gang, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, while Mr. B and Mr. C, who joined the gang immediately after release, were each sentenced to eight months in prison. One member, whose joining date was too long ago and thus beyond the statute of limitations, was acquitted.

The court stated, "Violent organizations pose a high risk of escalating to violent crimes to assert their power, causing direct and indirect anxiety to the public, thereby threatening social peace and safety, and must be strictly punished." It added, "Since most received leniency, live a life that does not disappoint your families."

Sunoa-pa is a violent gang formed in the late 1980s in Mokpo, Jeonnam. In the 1990s, it expanded its activities to Seoul, focusing on operating entertainment establishments and demolition services for construction companies. In the 2000s, it was known as one of the top 10 gangs nationwide with considerable influence.

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