'Sudden Thud'... 60-Year-Old Sentenced to Prison for Intentionally Stopping Elevator 15 Times Over Two Months

The photo is not directly related to the article.
Elevator [Provided by Yonhap News TV] [Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A man in his 60s who habitually stopped the elevator in his apartment in Daegu and damaged the facilities installed in the elevator was sentenced to prison.

On the 5th, the Criminal Division 11 of the Daegu District Court (Chief Judge Kim Sang-yoon) sentenced A (60), who was indicted on charges of intentionally stopping the apartment elevator (property damage, etc.), to one year in prison.

A was prosecuted for suddenly stopping the elevator by inserting and turning a key in the emergency stop keyhole on the outer door of the elevator in an apartment in downtown Daegu where he lives in March 2019.

It was confirmed that A repeated this act a total of 15 times until May of the same year.

A is also accused of damaging a closed-circuit (CC) TV installed by residents to find out the cause of the elevator's sudden stops by hitting it with an umbrella.

As the elevator frequently stopped and the door repeatedly opened and closed, trapping people inside, residents, feeling the risk of falling and fear, were found to have used the stairs.

In court, A claimed, "I never stopped the elevator, and damaging the closed-circuit (CC) TV was a justifiable act to prevent personal information leakage and invasion of privacy, which does not violate social norms."

The court said, "The defendant repeatedly committed the crime over a long period, causing considerable suffering to the apartment residents, yet shows no remorse," adding, "A severe sentence corresponding to the culpability is inevitable. However, considering the absence of prior criminal records and other factors," explained the reason for sentencing.

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