Assault Case of a Substitute Driver in Bulgwang-dong: Prison Sentence Upheld in Appeals Court
The couple involved in the 'Bulgwang-dong Substitute Driver Soccer Kick' incident that occurred last August has been sentenced to prison in the appeals court as well.
The 1st Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Court dismissed the appeals of husband Kim and wife Yang, who faced charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Violences, and upheld the lower court's decision sentencing them to 4 months in prison and 4 months in prison with 1 year of probation, respectively.
The court ruled that although the defendants had each deposited 1 million won in court during the appeals process, the nature of their crime involving joint assault and injury was grave, and the level of denunciation was high.
Previously, during the sentencing hearing, the prosecution argued that the defendants kicked the victim, knocked him down, and then kicked him in the head, seeking a 10-month prison sentence for each.
The prosecution claimed that considering the victim’s injuries had not been remedied and that they were seeking severe punishment, the lower court's verdict should be overturned.
The couple, Kim and Yang, were brought to trial for verbally abusing and assaulting substitute driver Kang in a parking lot in Bulgwang-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, in August last year.
CCTV footage at the time showed Kim tripping Kang by his legs, after which Yang ran in and kicked Kang in the head. As a result, Kang suffered a concussion and a three-week injury.
Initially, Kim and Yang claimed that Kang "pushed their child," but they changed their stance once the CCTV footage was revealed.
Husband Kim has a history of being sentenced to 4 years in prison for fraud, while Yang has two previous offenses for violent crimes resulting in fines.
The first instance court pointed out that the defendants displayed a tendency to shift blame onto the victim and were not diligent in their court appearances, sanctioning Kim with 4 months in prison and Yang with 4 months in prison with 1 year of probation.
Both the couple and the prosecution appealed, but the appeals court upheld the original ruling.
Image source: jtbc 'Incident Report', reference photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank
