Student Puts Laxative in Another Examinee's Coffee Before Suneung Exam [Seocho-dong Legal Story]

The incident was a 'random attack' that occurred between examinees who had never met before. Around 5:40 p.m. on August 30 last year, A, a student retaking the college entrance exam attending a large academy in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, finished his class and headed to the reading room operated by the academy. He bought a 2000 won black coffee in a 500ml PET bottle and took it with him. It was about two months before the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

On the 11th of last month, when the July Nationwide Joint Academic Assessment for the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test preparation was conducted, examinees were turning exam papers at a high school in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Joint Press Corps

At that time, B, another student attending the same academy, was also in the reading room. The two did not know each other at all. While A briefly left his seat, B found the coffee bottle on A's desk. B put two constipation pills he had into the coffee bottle. The medication was recommended to be taken with plenty of water before bedtime and with a diet rich in fiber. When A returned, he drank the coffee without suspicion and eventually suffered from diarrhea and even developed enteritis.

Immediately after the incident, A requested a thorough investigation and strong punishment from the authorities. He also asked, "Please ensure that the victim and the perpetrator cannot know each other to prevent secondary harm. As a student preparing for the CSAT, I do not want to suffer further mental or time-related damage," and requested, "Please communicate only through my guardian from now on." The prosecution applied charges of injury and property damage to B, stating, "He harmed the victim with a senseless prank and contaminated the victim's coffee with constipation pills," and filed a summary indictment. A summary indictment is when the prosecutor requests the court to impose a fine through a written review instead of formally indicting the suspect and bringing them to trial.

The court issued a summary order imposing a fine of 2 million won in April. Dissatisfied, B requested a formal trial. During the trial, B admitted his wrongdoing and pleaded, "I acknowledge my fault and am reflecting while volunteering at church." B's family also petitioned for leniency. On the other hand, the prosecutor requested the court to impose the same fine as in the summary order.

According to the legal community on the 15th, Judge Kim Han-cheol of the 17th Criminal Division at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced B to a fine of 2 million won, the same as the original summary order, on the 9th. Judge Kim stated, "Considering that the defendant is a first-time offender and has confessed to all offenses, there is a need to impose a heavier sentence than the one set in the summary order and the prosecutor's opinion." However, he added, "I take into account as a favorable factor for the defendant that he deposited 2 million won in escrow for the victim after requesting a formal trial." Criminal escrow is a system where a defendant who has not reached an agreement with the victim deposits money with the court. Even if the victim does not claim the escrowed money, it can influence the sentence as it indicates the defendant's willingness to settle.

Regarding this case, Judge Kim said, "This so-called random attack committed just before the CSAT is of a bad nature. The circumstances claimed by the defendant seem meaningless," and added, "The victim submitted a statement to the authorities after the CSAT and stated that he failed to retake the exam. The defendant has not been forgiven by the victim."

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