S. Korean clergymen given suspended prison terms over naval base protests

S. Korean clergymen given suspended prison terms over naval base protests

2012-02-26 02:05:13 GMT+7 (ICT)

JEJU ISLAND, SOUTH KOREA (BNO NEWS) -- Two Catholic priests and two monks in South Korea received suspended prison terms on Friday for obstruction of justice during protests against the construction of a naval base on the country's Jeju Island last year, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Rev. Moon Jeong-hyun was sentenced to an eight-month prison term, suspended for two years, for obstructing justice while protesting. The 72-year-old father climbed onto a police vehicle to keep officers from taking a village head to the police station and assaulted police three times during various protests, according to investigators.

"As the construction project was approved by the government, such violent ways of expressing opinion against it should be regarded as illegal," Judge Lee Yong-woo of the Jeju District Court said in his verdict, as quoted by Yonhap. "He deserves a suspended term, however, as he did not commit the crime for his personal interest."

The second priest, identified only by his surname Lee, and two monks whose identities were withheld, were sentenced to six-month prison terms, suspended for two years, on similar charges of obstruction.

Construction is underway to build the naval base in Gangjeong Village on the southern tip of the resort island to accommodate around 20 naval vessels, following a 2007 government decision. However, some local residents and civic groups have staged protests against the project, which is expected to be completed by 2014.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-02-26