"‘I Know a Gangster’ Causes Trouble and Theft at Pub... 40s Fined"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A man in his 40s who was arrested by the police for causing a disturbance at a bar was sentenced to a fine in the appellate court after returning to the bar to settle the matter and committing theft.

According to the legal community on the 24th, the 50th Criminal Appeals Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Goyeon Geum) sentenced A (41), who was indicted on charges of obstruction of business and theft, to a fine of 8 million won, the same as the first trial. The court stated, "Considering that the defendant was caught in the act for obstruction of business and was released, then returned to the victim's business to commit theft, the blameworthiness of the defendant is significant."

A was indicted for threatening customers at a neighboring table without any reason and obstructing the bar's business while drinking at a bar in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in April last year. It was investigated that he broke a soju bottle and threatened the customers by saying, "I know a gangster. I'll stab you." The customers reportedly left the bar without paying for their drinks due to A's threats. A was arrested on the spot by the police who responded to the report. After being released by the police on the same day, A returned to the bar to settle the matter but, finding the owner absent, took 10 dried squid and 6 agupo (dried fish) from the refrigerator and fled, committing theft.

In the first trial, the court sentenced A to a fine of 8 million won, stating, "Considering that the defendant committed the crime without self-reflection during the recidivism period and did not take any measures to restore the damage." A had a history of six previous convictions for similar offenses and was within the recidivism period following the completion of his final sentence in October 2018 at the time of the crime.

The appellate court dismissed A's appeal claiming the sentence was excessive. The court judged, "Although A made efforts to restore the damage by paying 3 million won in settlement money to the victim during the appeal, considering that the crime was committed during the recidivism period, the first trial sentence cannot be regarded as heavy." A filed an appeal against the second trial verdict as well.

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