Driving on Christmas Eve, a 'Bang'... The Fate of the Person-Targeted 'Bibitan Terror'

Fired a BB gun once while driving... "Because I was stressed"
Court: "Crime committed during probation, 4 months imprisonment"

A man in his 50s who shot a stranger with a BB gun on Christmas Eve last year out of anger was sentenced to four months in prison. The photo shows citizens taking shelter from the rain on the streets of Myeongdong, Seoul, on December 24 last year and is not related to any specific expressions in the article. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A man in his 50s who was caught by the police for shooting a BB gun at a stranger out of anger on Christmas Eve last year has been sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 10th, the Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judge Oh Myunghee) sentenced Mr. A, a man in his 50s, who was indicted on charges of special assault, to four months in prison.

Mr. A is accused of shooting a BB gun at Mr. B, a man in his 20s sitting at a bus stop on a road in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, on December 24, 2021.

At the time, Mr. A, who was driving, took out a BB gun stored in his car through the passenger side window and aimed at Mr. B. As a result, Mr. B was hit by a BB pellet on the shin of his right leg. It is known that Mr. A testified that he committed the crime because he was angry or stressed.

The court stated the sentencing reason, saying, "The defendant committed the same type of crime in 2019 and received a suspended sentence, but immediately after the suspension period ended, he committed the crime again," and "He fired a BB gun at an unspecified woman because he was angry or stressed, which is a very serious offense."

Similar incidents have occurred earlier in Iksan, Jeonbuk. According to the Iksan Police Station in Jeonbuk last March, a man in his 30s was caught by the police after shooting BB pellets at strangers' arms and legs while roaming the Yeongdeung-dong area of Iksan City from January last year to early this year.

Investigations revealed that he hid in specific places such as inside a car and shot the BB gun when pedestrians passed by. Mainly targeting women, he reportedly testified that "he did so because women's reactions were stronger than men's when hit by the pellets."

Meanwhile, BB guns can cause harm to people with simple modifications, so special caution is required when using them. In particular, Article 11 of the Act on the Safety Control of Firearms, Knives, and Explosives stipulates that possession of imitation firearms such as BB guns with removed restriction devices can result in imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 5 million won. Accordingly, if a BB gun is purchased knowing it has been illegally modified, the buyer may be subject to imprisonment or fines.