30s Man Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for Assaulting Japanese Woman in Hongdae

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] A man in his 30s accused of assaulting a Japanese female tourist near Hongdaeipgu Station in Seoul has been sentenced to prison.

On the 10th, Judge Park Suhyun of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 9 announced that Bang Mo (34), who was detained and prosecuted on charges of injury and insult, was sentenced to one year in prison.

Bang was detained and prosecuted on charges of insulting and assaulting a 19-year-old Japanese woman, A, who was passing near Hongdaeipgu Station on Line 2 of the Seoul subway in Mapo-gu at around 6 a.m. on August 23. At the time of the incident, Bang was investigated for verbally abusing the victim A by comparing her to an adult video actress and pulling her hair. As a result of this incident, A was diagnosed with a concussion and given a medical leave of two weeks.

At the sentencing hearing held last month, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Bang to three years in prison.

The court stated, "After reviewing the related video, it was confirmed that the defendant bent his left knee right in front of the victim's face and pushed her away," adding, "The victim consistently testified that she was hit in the face with the defendant's knee." The court further noted, "It is recognized that the victim hit her head on the ground when she fell, was transported to the emergency room due to headaches during police questioning, and was later prescribed and took medication."

The court explained the sentencing rationale, saying, "Considering that the defendant has multiple prior convictions for similar offenses and committed the crime during the probation period, and that he has not made sincere efforts to compensate the victim, who is pleading for severe punishment, a prison sentence is inevitable. However, the defendant's age and social environment were taken into account."

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