Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Random Assault with Blunt Object on Teenage Female Foreign Athlete Training in Busan

Busan District Court.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] A man in his 40s who committed a 'random assault' on a teenage Singaporean short track speed skater and the athlete's father, who came to Busan for training (reported in our online edition on May 30, 2022), was sentenced to four years in prison.

According to the Busan District Court on the 15th, Judge Oh Heung-rok of the Western Branch Criminal Division 4 sentenced Mr. A, who was tried on charges of special injury, to four years in prison.

Mr. A struck the faces and arms of teenage female B and 40-year-old male C multiple times with a blunt weapon at Exit 5 of Deokcheon Station in Buk-gu, Busan, at 8:52 p.m. on May 28.

Ms. B had entered Incheon Airport with Mr. C to undergo a one-month domestic training camp. After arriving in Busan, they were on their way home after purchasing daily necessities for the training period when the assault occurred.

The father and daughter suffered skull fractures and other injuries requiring a month of treatment due to Mr. A's attack.

Mr. A stated that he committed the crime because he thought Ms. B and Mr. C were mocking him.

It is known that Mr. A, who had not married into his late 40s, was pessimistic about his situation and had a persecutory delusion that others were mocking him because of it.

At the time of the incident, Mr. A's bag contained a large knife and an awl, and he had made and worn a self-made abdominal protector reinforced with plastic, apparently preparing for a fight at any time.

Chief Judge Oh Heung-rok said, "The defendant inflicted physical pain and mental trauma by swinging a blunt weapon at victims he did not even know for no reason," and added, "Due to Mr. A's repeated and similar prior offenses, a heavy sentence was inevitable."