"Why Were You Late?" Chicken Restaurant Owner Assaults Part-Time Worker with Baseball Bat, Receives Suspended Sentence

Cheongju District Court building.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A boss who assaulted a part-time worker with a baseball bat and other objects for being late was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

Today (15th), the Cheongju District Court Criminal Division 3 (Judge Chunsoon Go) announced that A (29), who was indicted on charges of special assault and property damage, was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year suspension and ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.

Judge Go stated, "The crime of repeatedly assaulting an employee with a baseball bat and other objects is serious and warrants severe punishment," but also considered, "The defendant has shown remorse, reached a settlement with the victims, and was in a psychologically unstable state at the time of the crime due to the death of his daughter and the recurrence of his mother's cancer."

A is known to operate a chicken restaurant in Sangdang-gu, Cheongju City. In April last year, A was accused of hitting part-time worker B (18) on the buttocks with an aluminum baseball bat for being late. In addition, A was found to have habitually used violence, such as slapping the cheeks of three teenage part-time workers including B, warning them not to be late.