"Man in His 30s Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Chinese and Taiwanese Tourists Over 'Loud Talking'"

Seoul Western District Court. Asia Economy DB

A man in his 30s was sentenced to prison for kicking a Chinese national in the lower back and verbally abusing him after following him off a bus, allegedly because the victim was speaking loudly in Chinese.

According to the legal community on September 3, Chief Judge Ma Sungyoung of the Criminal Division 7 of the Seoul Western District Court recently sentenced 35-year-old Kwak to 10 months in prison on charges of aggravated assault and assault.

Kwak was indicted for assaulting two Chinese tourists, identified as A and B, on April 1. Kwak reportedly got off the bus with A and B, followed them for about 70 meters, and then kicked them in the lower back, claiming they were speaking loudly in Chinese on the bus. He also allegedly hurled insults in Chinese that disparaged the victims' mothers.

On April 6, Kwak also faced charges for assaulting two Taiwanese tourists, identified as C and D, in Mapo District. Mistaking them for Chinese nationals after hearing them converse in a restaurant, he waited for them to exit the restaurant, followed them for about 100 meters, and then struck C on the head with a soju bottle he had prepared in advance. When a restaurant employee intervened and pushed Kwak to the ground, he bit the employee's thigh and knee.

Chief Judge Ma Sungyoung stated, "It appears that the defendant harbored hostility toward Chinese nationals and committed these hate crimes at night, specifically targeting Chinese people. Given the gravity of the offense, a severe punishment is necessary." However, he added, "The fact that the defendant is remorseful, has no prior criminal record, and turned himself in after the case was reported in some media outlets was taken into consideration in sentencing."

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