Appellate court reduces ex-PSS chief's sentence to 3 years

Park Jong-joon, the former chief of the Presidential Security Service (PSS), had his prison sentence reduced to three years on Wednesday by an appellate court. The reduction came after the lower court had sentenced him to four years in July. The court's decision came following a probe into Park's actions regarding the attempt to detain former President Yoon Suk Yeol last January. The arrest warrant was to be executed at the presidential residence due to Yoon's imposition of martial law.

In its judgment, the Seoul High Court pointed out that Park did not seem to have participated in physical confrontations with officials trying to enforce the arrest warrant. Furthermore, the court held that Park's resignation on January 7 of the same year might be seen as an indication of his responsibility for the ensuing confusion and conflict.

Despite these considerations, the high court maintained a five-year prison term for Kim Seong-hoon, the former deputy chief of the PSS. Kim was deemed to have played a significant role in organizing resistance against the warrant's execution. However, the court did not disclose details regarding Lee Kwang-wo, another individual mentioned in the source.