"Cannot Accept 1-Year Imprisonment"…Prosecution Appeals 1st Trial Verdict in 'Subway Cellphone Assault Woman' Case

Defendant in her 20s also appeals
Sentencing to be the main focus in the second trial

Appearance of Ms. A, a woman in her 20s, being sent to detention for the 'Line 9 mobile phone assault' case (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] The prosecution has appealed the first trial verdict of a woman in her 20s who repeatedly struck a man in his 60s with a cellphone on Seoul Subway Line 9.

According to the legal community on the 17th, the prosecution submitted an appeal to the Seoul Southern District Court on the 12th. Since the defendant, woman A in her 20s, also submitted an appeal, the sentencing in the second trial is expected to be a major focus.

Previously, on the 6th, Judge Jeon Beom-sik of the Criminal Division 8 of the Seoul Southern District Court sentenced A, who was charged with special injury, insult, and assault, to one year in prison. The court stated at the time, "A spat on the subway and then verbally abused B (a man in his 60s) who protested, and repeatedly struck the victim's head with a cellphone, a dangerous object. The nature of A's crime is not light," adding, "Despite many passengers witnessing the incident and some trying to intervene or record it, the defendant continued the crime against the victim who was older than her." The court also explained, "The sentence is determined considering that the victim has not yet forgiven the defendant."

During the trial, A admitted to all the charges. She also expressed to the court that she had made efforts to reach a settlement. Additionally, she mentioned having been bullied in the past. In her final statement, she said, "I am truly sorry and deeply remorseful," and added, "I should have sought mental treatment or counseling recently, but I did not think about it."

Meanwhile, A was additionally indicted for an incident on or around October 21 of last year on Subway Line 1, where she poured a beverage she was holding onto C’s head during an argument, struck C’s head with a bag, and scratched C’s chest and arm with her nails.

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