‘Wine Club Assault Death’ 8-Year Prison Sentence Faces Prosecutor Appeal

Beaten for Saying "I Said Something Unpleasant"

A man in his 40s who fatally beat a member he first met at a wine club was sentenced to 8 years in prison, prompting the prosecution to appeal.

On the 2nd, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office announced that it had appealed the previous day's ruling on Mr. Yeo (43) to seek a harsher sentence. A prosecution official stated, “The severity of the assault, the lack of any mitigating circumstances regarding the motive, and the fact that no action was taken even after seeing the victim hit his head all indicate the necessity for a strict punishment.”

Earlier, the 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Byung-chul) sentenced Mr. Yeo, who was indicted and detained on charges of injury resulting in death, to 8 years in prison on the 26th of last month. The court explained the sentencing by saying, “Mr. Yeo initiated the assault, and there appears to have been a prolonged conflict. He struck the victim’s face, resulting in a tragic outcome. There is no evidence of any efforts by Mr. Yeo to reconcile with the victim’s family or to make amends, making a prison sentence unavoidable.”

Mr. Yeo was tried on charges of beating a man in his 40s, Mr. A, to death during a club meeting at a hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, around 3 a.m. on July 16 of last year. Mr. A was transported to the hospital and underwent brain hemorrhage surgery but ultimately died. It was reported that the assault occurred after a verbal dispute in which Mr. A said something offensive.