A man in his 30s sentenced to 6 months in prison for assaulting a National Assembly candidate during election campaigning

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] A man in his 30s who assaulted a National Assembly candidate during election campaigning ahead of the 21st general election was sentenced to prison.

The Seoul Northern District Court Criminal Division 11 (Presiding Judge Ma Seong-young) sentenced Im Mo (33), who was indicted and detained on charges of assaulting four people including Lee Nam-su, the Justice Party candidate for Nowon District (then a preliminary candidate), and campaign workers during election campaigning ahead of the April 15 general election, to six months in prison on the 15th.

The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "Without any particular reason, the defendant indiscriminately assaulted the victims, infringing on the freedom of election campaigning, and even assaulted those who tried to stop him. Although he was not forgiven by the victims and has received two suspended sentences for violence-related crimes, he shows remorse and appears to have no intention or purpose to influence the election."

The court sentenced Im to four months in prison for violating the Public Official Election Act and two months in prison for assault.

Im was brought to trial on charges of assaulting Lee and four campaign workers inside the Dangogae Station in Nowon-gu, Seoul, around 7 p.m. on March 18 this year. It is known that Im testified that he committed the crime because Lee and others looked at him unpleasantly.