The National Court Administration has filed a civil suit against participants in the riot at the Seoul Western District Court in January last year, seeking about 1.18 billion won in repair costs.
The agency said on the 26th that it filed the damages suit at the Seoul Central District Court against five people whose convictions over the riot have been finalized, seeking 1,175,899,770 won in restoration costs plus late-payment interest. The plaintiff is the Republic of Korea, with the National Court Administration as the responsible agency.
"They disrupted the constitutional order and directly threatened the independence of the judiciary," the agency said. "It is absolutely necessary to hold legally accountable those who took part in this riot, a grave incident that shook the foundations of the rule of law and democracy."
The riot broke out on Jan. 19 last year, when supporters of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, enraged by the issuance of an arrest warrant against him, stormed the Seoul Western District Court, smashing parts of the building and assaulting police officers who tried to stop them. Those who took part were indicted on charges including aggravated trespassing on a structure and aggravated obstruction of official duties.
"Many facilities at the Seoul Western District Court building were seriously damaged, including windows, entrance doors, exterior walls, office furniture and computer equipment, and staff members suffered severe psychological shock," the agency said. It added that the incident was "collective violence and destruction directed at a courthouse where the state exercises its judicial function, and a grave illegal act that went beyond simple property damage or violence to seriously undermine the function and authority of the courts, the last bastion of the rule of law and the protection of citizens' basic rights."
The suit was filed after a legal review by a litigation support center that assists with state litigation involving the courts.
