"Thought He Was Chinese"... Man Who Tied Up Pedestrian's Hair from Behind and Assaulted Him Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] A man in his 40s who mistook a passerby with tied-back hair for a Chinese person, provoked a quarrel, and struck him with a cellphone, breaking his cheekbone, was sentenced to prison and detained in court.

The Incheon District Court Criminal Division 12 (Chief Judge Kim Sang-woo) announced on the 14th that it sentenced A (49), who was indicted without detention on charges of special assault, to 10 months in prison and detained him in court.

Earlier, A was indicted without detention on charges of striking passerby B (36) in the face with a cellphone and breaking his cheekbone during an argument on a street in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, around 9:30 p.m. on August 22 last year.

A mistook B, who had tied-back hair, for a Chinese person and provoked a quarrel while making derogatory remarks insulting Chinese people, according to the investigation.

In court, A claimed, "I hit the victim's face with my hand," but the court judged, based on the victim's and witnesses' testimonies, that A struck with a cellphone.

The court said, "The defendant struck the victim's face with a dangerous object, a cellphone, which shows the severity of the crime," and added, "The victim was diagnosed with a six-week recovery period and suffered mental shock and pain."

Furthermore, the court explained the sentencing reason, saying, "The defendant has a history of multiple punishments for violent crimes but did not reform and committed the crime again," and "considering that the defendant was not forgiven by the victim."

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