Assault Leading to Death During Drinking on the 11th in Sokcho, Gangwon
Suspect Habitually Harassed Victim in the Past
Photo of victim A during the Sokcho assault incident, posted recently by A's friend on online communities, aired on KBS 'News7' on the 21st. / Photo by KBS
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A university student who fatally assaulted a friend while drinking in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, is alleged to have previously assaulted the victim as well.
According to KBS 'News7' on the 21st, friends who were close to the victim A, who died after being assaulted in Sokcho, claimed that the victim had been subjected to bullying and assault by the perpetrator since their school days.
According to these claims, the suspect Choi (24) created a social network service (SNS) account in the past, posted nude photos of A to mock him, and habitually assaulted him.
The incident sparked public outrage after a related petition was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 16th.
In a post titled "We strongly urge severe punishment for those who caused a friend's death by assault," the petitioner, who identified themselves as a friend of A, lamented, "My friend (the victim) confided in me that he had been stressed by teasing, hidden camera filming, and phone theft by the perpetrator (the victim's friend) and the perpetrator's friends."
They added, "I knew that whenever the perpetrator and my friend had drinking gatherings, my friend would have injuries on his body and face, and he lost his phone 4 to 5 times over 1 to 2 years," explaining, "My friend and the perpetrator had been friends since middle school, but the assaults started as primary abuse and escalated to secondary abuse."
A's close friend posted a message on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 16th, urging strong punishment for the perpetrator. / Photo by National Petition Board capture
Meanwhile, the Sokcho Police Station arrested Choi on the 15th.
Choi is accused of fatally assaulting A near his home in Sokcho around 3 p.m. on the 12th. The day before, on the 11th, Choi, two of his friends, and A, a total of five people, drank at a restaurant and then moved the gathering to Choi's house.
Continuing the drinking party overnight until the 12th, Choi and A stepped outside the house to smoke and got into an argument, during which Choi assaulted A.
In the police investigation, Choi stated that he assaulted A because "he insulted my parents with offensive language." According to Choi, after the assault, the two reconciled and fell asleep, but around 8 p.m. the same day, Choi found A not breathing and took him to the hospital.
Investigations revealed that Choi used a golf club to beat A all over his body. Furthermore, two of Choi's friends who witnessed the assault did not intervene and were found to have filmed the bloodied victim.
The police arrested Choi on charges of injury resulting in death and special assault, and sent him to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment. The two friends of Choi were booked without detention on charges of aiding and abetting special assault.
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