70-Year-Old Dies After Being Hit by Stone Thrown by Elementary Student... Bereaved Family Says "Unfair and Devastated"

Wife Supported While Climbing Stairs, Hit by Stone and Died
Under 10 Years Old 'Completely Exempt from Criminal Responsibility'

A man in his 70s died after being hit by a stone thrown by an elementary school student at a high-rise apartment in Seoul.

According to the Nowon Police Station and Gangbuk Fire Station in Seoul on the 19th, around 4:30 p.m. on the 17th, Mr. Kim (male, in his 70s), a resident of an apartment complex in Wolgye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, was hit on the head by a stone that fell from about 10 floors above and died.

Seoul Nowon Police Station. [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the bereaved family, Mr. Kim was helping his wife, who had difficulty walking, climb the stairs at the time.

The stone, about the size of an adult male's fist, was found to have been thrown by an elementary school student living in the same apartment. The child who threw the stone is under 10 years old, and thus is completely exempt from criminal responsibility as they do not fall under the category of 'Chokbeopsonyeon' (juveniles aged 10 to under 14).

The victim's family expressed frustration, saying there is no one to hold accountable.

Mr. Kim's son told MBC in an interview, "I don't know who to blame. Should I blame the child's parents, the child, or the world? It is so unfair and heartbreaking."

The police are currently investigating the exact circumstances of the incident with the child who threw the stone and their guardian.

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