"Her number is similar to my ex's, so comfort me a bit"... A man in his 30s 'phone stalked' an unknown woman

Called multiple times saying "Please comfort me"
Fined 10 million won in both first trial and appeal trial

A man in his 30s who called a woman he had never met before using a blocked caller ID because her phone number was similar to that of his ex-girlfriend, then cried and asked her to "comfort him," was sentenced to a fine in the appellate court, the same as in the first trial.

On the 16th, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Shim Hyun-geun) announced that it dismissed the appeal filed by Mr. A (35), who was charged with violating the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, and upheld the original ruling that sentenced him to a fine of 10 million won.

On July 13 of last year, around midnight, Mr. A randomly called a woman in her 20s whom he did not know, from his home in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, using a blocked caller ID. He abruptly asked the woman, "Do you know who I am? Do you have any guesses?" When the startled victim asked, "Who is this?" Mr. A replied, "You have a temper. I will tell you who I am when we meet," and then hung up. About 30 minutes later, Mr. A called again and said, "Please don't hang up. I am having a hard time right now. I called because your number is similar to my ex-girlfriend's phone number."

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article [Image source=Pixabay]

From then until October of the same year, Mr. A repeatedly called the victim against her will. During the calls, he gave the absurd reason that he was calling because he wanted comfort after breaking up with his girlfriend, and it was reported that he even cried. Mr. A was eventually brought to trial for violating the Stalking Punishment Act.

The first trial court pointed out, "The defendant repeatedly called the victim, whom he had never met, using a blocked caller ID or caused missed call notifications, which is a very serious offense." It added, "The victim is believed to have experienced extreme mental distress such as fear and anxiety due to this crime, and also received psychiatric treatment for stress and depressive symptoms."

However, considering that the defendant had no prior stalking offenses and did not escalate to visiting or threatening the victim, the court imposed a fine. Mr. A was ordered to pay a fine of 10 million won and complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program.

Mr. A appealed, claiming that the sentence was too harsh. The appellate court, after reviewing Mr. A's claims, stated, "There are no special changes in circumstances, and the original sentencing is not excessively heavy beyond the reasonable scope of discretion," and dismissed the appeal, maintaining the original judgment.