"Did Not Self-Isolate"…50-Year-Old Threatened Family with Chainsaw, Given Suspended Sentence

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A man in his 50s who threatened a family with an electric saw after mistakenly believing that his neighbors had violated mandatory self-quarantine was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

On the 21st, the Cheongju District Court Criminal Division 4 (Judge Hodong Lee) announced that it sentenced Mr. A (57), who was indicted on charges of special assault and injury, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension, and ordered probation and 80 hours of community service.

Earlier, Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of assaulting a family of four, including a woman in her 70s who was under self-quarantine after returning from overseas and her son in his 50s, around 5:30 p.m. on April 30, and then threatening them with an electric saw.

During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated, "I thought they were not properly following self-quarantine." However, it was confirmed that the family had arrived from Germany on April 19 and did not violate any quarantine rules during the self-quarantine period until May 3.

In his ruling, Judge Lee stated, "Considering that the defendant threw stones and brandished an electric saw during a dispute with his neighbors due to a misunderstanding, the danger of the crime was very high," but added, "However, taking into account that the defendant admitted to the crime and that the victims did not wish to press charges, the sentence was determined."

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