North Korean Defector Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Man Carrying Rising Sun Flag at Market
Acquitted of Attempted Murder in 국민참여재판
Sentenced to 3 Years for Special Injury
A North Korean defector who assaulted a man carrying a flag with words such as 'Arigatou' and 'Joseonjing' on a design resembling the Rising Sun flag the day after Samiljeol was sentenced to prison.
According to the legal community on the 24th, the Criminal Division 13 of the Uijeongbu District Court (Chief Judge Park Ju-young) sentenced a man in his 40s, Mr. A, to three years in prison on charges of special assault, based on the jury's verdict from a citizen trial and other factors.
Defector Mr. A was prosecuted for assaulting a man in his 60s, Mr. B, who was carrying a Rising Sun flag and conducting a one-person protest at Geumchon Market in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of March 2. Mr. A, while looking for daily labor jobs and a place to stay, witnessed Mr. B. He angrily asked, "Are you a pro-Japanese collaborator? What are you doing?" When Mr. B retorted, "You Joseonjing bastards," Mr. A became enraged and assaulted him with bricks and other objects.
Mr. B sustained injuries requiring six weeks of treatment. Investigators, considering that Mr. A struck Mr. B multiple times with bricks and other objects, suspected intent to kill and charged him with attempted murder. Mr. A admitted to the assault but denied the attempted murder charge. He stated, "In North Korea, there is a social atmosphere of punishing the instigator," and requested a citizen trial. The attempted murder charge was acquitted in the citizen trial. Among the nine jurors, four voted guilty and five voted not guilty.
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The court pointed out, "The defendant's repeated hitting of the victim with bricks and stones during their argument, causing injury, is a serious degree of illegality." Regarding sentencing, the court explained, "The fact that the defendant deposited 6 million won in criminal bail for the victim is a favorable circumstance," and added, "The jury's verdict acquitting the defendant of the charge of attempted murder aligns with the court's own conviction."
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