Man in his 30s spits at driver in adjacent lane during road dispute, fined 700,000 won for assault charge

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man in his 30s who spat at the driver of a neighboring vehicle during a driving dispute was tried on assault charges and received a confirmed fine.

According to the legal community on the 12th, Judge Park Seol-ah of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 24 recently sentenced A (34, male), who was indicted on assault charges, to a fine of 700,000 won. Since neither A nor the prosecution appealed, the ruling was finalized as is.

Earlier, A was brought to trial on charges of assault for spitting at B (35, male) around 5 p.m. on March 13 last year at Yangjae Station intersection in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, following a driving dispute.

At the time, the two exchanged insults and arguments through open windows because neither side yielded regarding vehicle operation. During this, A, seated in the driver's seat, forcefully spat toward B, who was in the left lane. The spit was found to have landed on B’s hand, the passenger seat of the vehicle, and the front windshield.

In court, A denied all charges. He claimed, "The two vehicles were stopped side by side, and I spat toward the passenger seat of B’s vehicle, which had its window open," adding, "I did not spit directly on B’s body." He insisted that he did not spit directly at B nor had any intention to do so.

However, Judge Park did not accept A’s claims, stating, "It is recognized that the defendant spat and caused the victim’s hand and other parts to be soiled, constituting assault."

Judge Park explained, "The defendant likely understood that the spit could splash onto the victim’s hand or other body parts," and added, "The victim testified that he was holding the side brake (gear) with his right hand at the time, and the spit landed on his right hand. These facts were considered comprehensively."

Under current criminal law, assault charges can be established not only by physical contact with the victim’s body but also by exerting physical force that causes physical or mental pain.

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