A 60-year-old man received a prison sentence for assaulting a taxi driver after being prevented from smoking inside the taxi, as well as for making unreasonable demands to public officials at an administrative welfare center and committing various other illegal acts.

On the 25th, the Chuncheon Branch of the Gangwon Provincial Court's Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kim Sung-rae) announced that it sentenced Mr. A (67) to 2 years in prison for violations of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (retributive violence, etc.), injury, obstruction of official duties, assault, and false accusations.

According to the indictment, Mr. A boarded a taxi driven by Mr. B (53) at 1:12 PM on May 9 of last year in Chuncheon City, Gangwon Province, and stated, "I will smoke a cigarette inside the taxi." When Mr. B refused this request, Mr. A exited the taxi and committed violent acts against Mr. B, such as spitting on him.

Continuing Illegal Acts and Harassment of Officials

Mr. A's unlawful activities did not stop there.

About ten days after the incident, at 4:55 PM on May 17 of last year, Mr. A visited an administrative welfare center in Chuncheon City and made unreasonable demands to a public official, asking for money for gas to go to Hwacheon County.

When another official who witnessed the situation suggested an alternative, saying that they could not provide money for gas but could offer rice and ramen if he was in a difficult situation, Mr. A responded with insults and spat, obstructing the official's duties.

In addition to this, Mr. A also committed several crimes, including kicking a neighbor, which ultimately led him to stand trial.

The court noted in its ruling, "Given the circumstances, methods, and frequency of the crimes, the nature of the offenses is very poor," and pointed out that despite having multiple prior convictions for violent crimes, Mr. A committed further offenses during the probation period for similar crimes.

Furthermore, it explained the sentencing rationale by stating, "The victims are likely to have experienced significant physical and mental suffering due to the defendant's actions, and the defendant has yet to make any efforts to restore the victims or seek their forgiveness," and elaborated on the conditions that influenced the sentence.

Image source: Taxi black box footage, man suddenly jumping off the leg, taxi passenger disturbance, black box footage, troublesome taxi passenger, school violence, parental insults, friend murder, eradication of school violence, punishment for violence.