A Man in His 50s Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison for Damaging the Forced Laborer Statue at Yongsan Station

On the afternoon of September 29, the pickaxe part of the Forced Laborer Statue in the plaza in front of Yongsan Station, Seoul, was broken off and damaged. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] A man in his 50s who was prosecuted for damaging the Forced Laborer Statue in front of Yongsan Station in Seoul was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

On the 20th, Judge Jisangmok of Criminal Division 7 at the Seoul Western District Court announced that Kim (54), who was detained and indicted on charges of property damage, special intimidation, and theft, was sentenced to 10 months in prison on the 9th of this month.

Kim is accused of kicking the pickaxe part of the Forced Laborer Statue in Yongsan Station Plaza and shaking it with his hands to detach it around 12:20 p.m. on September 29. He also threatened a group holding a rally in front of the statue by shouting, "It's hard enough to make a living, so why do you keep protesting?" Kim threw the detached pickaxe onto the ground. The repair cost for the statue amounted to 2.53 million won.

Kim is also charged with approaching a woman in her 50s who was protesting in front of the statue while holding the pickaxe and threatening her with the sharpened blade. He fled the scene with the pickaxe but was urgently arrested around 7:30 p.m. the next day in Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do. The court pointed out, "The crime is serious as he threatened the victim with a dangerous object, committed the crime during a probation period, and has multiple prior criminal records."

However, the court added, "Considering that he usually engages in activities such as pointing out various social issues including environmental problems and publishing related booklets, and that the crime was somewhat impulsive after seeing protests during difficult social circumstances like COVID-19." Kim appealed the verdict.

The Forced Laborer Statue was erected in 2017 at Yongsan Station Plaza to denounce the forced mobilization during Japanese colonial rule and to relieve the resentment of Korean laborers who sacrificed their lives.

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