Professor fined for assaulting colleague professor over differing opinions

Department Head Recommendation Seat Assault on Colleague Professor
"Crime Committed Out of Anger Over Different Opinion Expressed"

A professor who assaulted a fellow professor with a differing opinion during a meeting to recommend a department head was sentenced to a fine.

Cheongju District Court exterior.
Photo by Yonhap News

On the 16th, Yonhap News reported that Chief Judge Kwon No-eul of the Criminal Division 1 at Cheongju District Court sentenced Professor A (61) of a private university in Cheongbuk, Cheongju, to a fine of 1.5 million won for assault charges. Professor A is accused of verbally abusing fellow professor B and hitting him three times with a pen and a leather glove during a full-time faculty meeting held in a practice room at the university around 3:44 p.m. on December 30, 2022.

Professor A stated that he committed the assault because he was angered by Professor B expressing an opinion different from his own during the discussion about recommending the department head at the meeting.

Chief Judge Kwon said, "The defendant assaulted the victim in a meeting attended by fellow professors and has not been forgiven," but also noted, "Considering that the defendant deposited 1 million won in escrow for the victim," explaining the reasoning behind the sentencing.

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