[Exclusive] Western District Court Riot Seen Through Indictment... "Attempted Arson After Buying Lighter Fluid at Convenience Store"

The prosecution indicted those involved in the riot at the Seoul Western District Court on charges including attempted arson of an existing structure and damage to special public property.

The outer wall of the Western District Court is damaged. Photo by Yonhap News

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According to the indictment of 63 individuals involved in the Western District Court riot, obtained by Asia Economy on the 20th through the office of Park Beom-gye, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, Mr. A purchased two bottles of lighter fluid at a convenience store next to the court's back gate at 3:46 a.m. on the 19th of last month, then re-entered the court and attempted arson.

According to the prosecution, Mr. A punctured a hole in one bottle of lighter fluid and handed it to another person, who then poured the fluid inside the building through a broken window on the first floor of the main building. Mr. A then lit a piece of paper on fire with a lighter and threw it inside the building through the window, but the fire did not ignite the fluid.

Additionally, Mr. B entered the court's duty office and pushed a computer monitor and keyboard off the desk by hand, breaking them upon impact with the floor. He is also accused of forcibly lifting and damaging the shutter installed at the entrance on the first floor of the court to allow participants to enter the building.

Mr. C kicked open the door on the seventh floor of the court and entered. At that time, Mr. C and several others said things like "We have to break the door," "This is the judge's office, they might be here," and "They might be hiding inside," then damaged the electronic magnetic door lock.

At around 5:50 a.m., Mr. D mocked police officers at the court's back gate who urged peaceful protest by saying, "You guys are dogs." He then assaulted Police Superintendent E of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency riot squad by striking his face with his right hand.

Mr. F entered through the court building's first-floor main entrance, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and struck the automatic glass door twice in an attempt to break it. He also used physical force, pushing police officers who were blocking entry into the court.

Earlier, the dedicated investigation team of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office indicted 62 people on the 10th in connection with the Western District Court riot and indicted one person without detention. Among them, 49 are accused of storming the court after arrest warrants were issued against President Yoon Seok-yeol. The types of offenses include 39 cases of court intrusion, 7 cases of property damage after intrusion, 2 cases of searching judges' offices after intrusion, and 1 case of attempted arson after intrusion.

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