'Assault on Faculty During Sit-in Protest' Fine Imposed on Democratic Labor Union Executive

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The court sentenced a union official to a fine for assaulting a faculty member who requested the suspension of a rally on a university campus.

On the 18th, Judge Jeong Geum-young of the Criminal Division 3 at the Seoul Western District Court sentenced A (41), then the Organization Director of the Seoul Branch of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, to a fine of 1.5 million won on charges of assault.

On May 21 of last year, A held a sit-in protest demanding the reinstatement of dismissed school cleaning workers in the lobby on the first floor of Baekyang Hall at Yonsei University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. On that day, while rallying with others, he was asked by a general affairs team employee to stop the rally due to the risk of COVID-19. He was prosecuted for hitting the victim’s chest with his right elbow and acting as if to strike with a microphone.

A claimed that the victim reached out to hit a woman standing next to him, and he only touched the victim’s chest with his elbow to restrain him, arguing that this did not constitute assault or was an act of self-defense.

The court rejected A’s claim and ruled that it constituted assault. The court explained the sentencing by stating, "The defendant has a history of multiple punishments for violent crimes, including an 8-month prison sentence in 2009 for obstruction of official duties, and initially denied the offense, showing no sincere remorse," but also noted, "The degree of assault was not severe, which is a mitigating factor."

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