"Civil Servant Who Assaulted Subordinate Over 'Embarrassing Attire' Appeals for Leniency in Second Trial, but Court Upholds Fine"

A civil servant who assaulted a subordinate for wearing what was deemed excessively revealing clothing has again been fined in the appeals trial.

On October 14, the Jeonju District Court's 2nd Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Kim Dohyeong) announced that it had dismissed the appeal of Jeonju City official A (48, female), who was indicted on assault charges, and upheld the original verdict of a 500,000 won fine.

In this case, A was indicted for twice striking the chest of public service worker B (32, female) in a manner akin to tapping, at a screening clinic in Wansan-gu, Jeonju, on January 13, 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In court, A explained the reason for the assault by saying, "Screening clinic staff are required to wear gowns, but B's attire was too embarrassing. When entering the break room, staff must remove their gowns due to contamination concerns, and at that time B's body lines were fully exposed."

She continued, "At that time, about 3,300 citizens visited the screening clinic daily. I touched B while pointing out this issue. I should have only spoken, and I regret even lightly touching her," appealing for leniency.

However, the appellate court stated, "Although the degree of assault was not severe, the fact that the victim is seeking strict punishment is an unfavorable factor. The original verdict appears to have taken into account various circumstances and sentencing factors," and rejected A's grounds for appeal.