[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] A man in his 70s was sentenced to prison for pushing a police officer who was trying to restrain him during a rally, causing the officer to be injured in a traffic accident.
On the 17th, according to the legal community, Judge Park Hyun-sook of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 22 sentenced Kim Mo (76), who was indicted on charges of obstruction of official duties and assault causing injury, to eight months in prison and ordered his immediate detention.
The court pointed out, "At a protest site on a four-lane road, the defendant pushed a police officer who was helping maintain order, causing the officer to be hit by a vehicle and injured, which is a very serious offense."
It added, "Despite the victim’s serious injuries, the defendant made no significant effort to compensate the victim and denied the crime to evade responsibility, showing no remorse, making a prison sentence unavoidable."
Kim was indicted without detention on charges of pushing a police officer who was trying to stop him from approaching participants of a rally calling for the abolition of the National Security Law, held on August 31 last year near Hyoja-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, while he was verbally abusing them at a rally organized by the Korea Christian Federation on the opposite side of the road.
At that time, police officers were lined up along the center line to prevent clashes between the two groups of rally participants. The police officer pushed by Kim stepped into the first lane with his left foot and was injured by a passing passenger car, suffering a heel fracture with a recovery period of three months.
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