'Shoe Assault' Sunjeong Livestock Cooperative Chairman Sentenced to Prison in First Trial... "Worse Crime Than Gangsters"

Victims Undergo Psychiatric Treatment After Repeated Assaults
Court: "Beyond Simple Physical Violence, Degrading in Nature"

The former head of the Jeonbuk Sunjeong Livestock Cooperative, who was arrested and indicted on charges including assaulting employees with shoes and forcing them to resign, was sentenced to prison.

On the 2nd, Judge Lee Won-sik of the Criminal Division 1 at Namwon Branch of Jeonju District Court sentenced Ko (62), who was arrested and indicted on charges of special assault, special intimidation, coercion, violation of the Labor Standards Act, and violation of the Stalking Punishment Act, to 10 months in prison. If this sentence is finalized, Ko will lose his position as the head of the cooperative under the Agricultural Cooperative Act.

Ko was indicted for repeatedly assaulting four cooperative employees with his hands, feet, liquor bottles, and shoes from April to September of last year. He is also known to have forced many employees to submit their resignations while verbally abusing and insulting them. When the victims filed complaints, he unilaterally visited the hospitals and homes where the victims were hospitalized under the pretext of settlement. The victims reportedly developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the repeated assaults and are receiving psychiatric treatment.

In his final statement, Ko said, "I sincerely reflect and regret my actions," and pleaded, "Please show leniency so that I can continue to support the livelihoods of the cooperative members." It is reported that he was elected in the second nationwide simultaneous cooperative head election in 2019 and re-elected in the third election held last year.

However, the court pointed out, "This case occurred within a vertical relationship between the cooperative head and cooperative employees, making the nature of the crime much worse than typical organized violence cases," and added, "The victims have not forgiven the defendant and are pleading for severe punishment."

The court further explained the sentencing rationale, stating, "The defendant's crimes went beyond simple physical violence and were carried out in a humiliating manner that infringed on the victims' autonomy," and "At this stage, probation is completely inappropriate, and a prison sentence is inevitable."

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