Rear-end collision and ramming with a car... 'Random crimes' targeting women

Near Gangnam Station in Seoul, Woman Struck on the Back of the Head
Man in His 20s Sent to Prosecution in Custody

Man in His 40s Sentenced to 5 Years for Ramming Car into Woman and Threatening Her

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Crimes targeting women without specific reasons are not being eradicated. Those who committed crimes such as assaulting women on the street or ramming them with cars were eventually caught and could not avoid punishment.

According to the police on the 7th, the Suseo Police Station in Seoul sent a 20-year-old man named Jo, who struck the backs of the heads of unfamiliar women near Gangnam Station and fled, to the prosecution in custody on the 3rd.

Jo is accused of approaching five women in their 30s to 40s walking near Gangnam Station over about a month since early last month, hitting the backs of their heads with his hand and fleeing. It is reported that he committed the crimes due to hostility toward women, but investigations showed he had no history of mental illness and was neither drinking alcohol nor under the influence of drugs at the time of the crimes.

Kim Tae-gyun, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, held a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review) for Jo and issued an arrest warrant, stating, "The case is serious, and there is concern that the suspect might flee or destroy evidence."

Last month, a man who rammed women with a car, assaulted and threatened them, and attempted to trespass was also sentenced to prison.

Kim Min-sang, chief judge of the Criminal Division 1 at Changwon District Court, sentenced a 48-year-old man named A to five years in prison on charges including special injury.

On October 18 last year, around 1 a.m., A hit two women in their 20s who were crossing a road in Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, with his passenger car. After getting out of the car, he tried to force the victims into the car by saying "Let's go to the hospital," but when they refused, he punched them and forcibly pulled them, causing injuries such as rib fractures.

A's crimes did not stop after this incident. He threatened a woman in her 20s with a weapon in an elevator of an officetel in Gimhae. He chased a woman in her 20s returning home, attempted to trespass, and while driving near a middle school, approached a woman in her 60s, threatened to kill her with a weapon, stabbed her right wrist, and fled.

These crimes occurred within just two hours. During the trial, A's defense requested treatment custody, claiming he was in a state of mental incapacity due to mental illness and drug overdose, but Judge Kim did not accept this.

Judge Kim explained the sentencing, saying, "The defendant committed violence against passing women and threatened them with a weapon, which is a grave offense. Considering the danger of the acts and the extent of the damage, it is necessary to isolate the defendant from society for a certain period."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.