Court gives suspended jail term to demolition worker in Yongsan tragedy

SEOUL, May 12 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court Tuesday sentenced an employee of a
demolition company to a suspended six-month jail term for having illegally
participated in a police raid that left six people dead.
A police SWAT team raided a dilapidated four-story building in Yongsan, central
Seoul, on Jan. 20 to evict dozens of squatters opposing the redevelopment of the
area. Six people, including a police officer, were killed in a blaze that
occurred during the pre-dawn raid, after squatters hurled petrol bombs at police.
The defendant, identified only by his surname Ha, and his four colleagues were
accused of setting a fire with building materials and plastics in a bid to smoke
protesters from the building.
The deadly raid forced then chief of Seoul police, who was awaiting confirmation
hearing for an appointment to national police chief, to resign. The presence and
participation of demolition workers became another legal controversy, with
critics charging they had no legal authority to take part in the raid.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down a six-month jail term, suspended for
two years, to Ha, and fined his colleagues 2 million won (US$1,600).
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)