Drying Body with Hair Dryer in Locker Room... 40s Defendant Found Not Guilty in Dispute

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A man in his 40s who got into a dispute with another gym user while drying his body with a hairdryer in the locker room was acquitted.

Today (the 1st), the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Cheongmi Kim) announced that it upheld the original not guilty verdict for A (48), who was charged with assault. Previously, on September 22, 2019, A got into an argument with another user, B, while drying his body with a hairdryer in the locker room of a gym in Wonju City.

At the time, B reportedly expressed displeasure toward A, verbally abused him, and threatened to hit him with the hairdryer. In response, A immediately called 112 (emergency services), and when B tried to leave the scene, A blocked the elevator entrance. During this process, A pushed B’s chest, and as a result, faced a summary order for a fine on assault charges, leading him to request a formal trial.

The first trial court accepted A’s claim that he only tried to prevent B from leaving before the police arrived and had no intent to assault, judging that his actions were socially acceptable to some extent, and acquitted him.

Subsequently, the appellate court reviewed the prosecution’s claim that it could not be considered a justifiable act but dismissed the prosecution’s appeal, stating, "As the defendant was a victim of threats, it seems necessary for him to take minimal measures to prevent B from leaving the scene before the police arrived." Meanwhile, B was fined by summary order for threatening A, and the verdict was finalized.

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