"Mrs. Kim Was Wrong to Receive a Luxury Bag"...Passenger Who Assaulted Taxi Driver Fined 5 Million Won

Assault Over Differences in Views During Political Issue Discussion
Fined 5 Million Won...Prosecution Appeals

A passenger in his 60s who struck a taxi driver’s face and head during a political discussion was sentenced to a fine.

On the 29th, according to the legal community, Judge Hwang Hae-cheol of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Criminal Division 3 sentenced A (65), who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (assaulting a driver, etc.), to a fine of 5 million won.

Taxis are waiting for passengers at the taxi stand at Seoul Station. This is a stock photo unrelated to the driver.
Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On January 23rd at around 10:45 p.m., A, who boarded a taxi operated by B (66) in Wonju City, was charged with repeatedly punching B’s face after B said, during a political conversation, that “it seems wrong for the wife to have received a luxury handbag,” which angered A.

A claimed that he only lightly tapped B’s head a few times to “snap him out of it” and denied assault, but the court did not accept this.

Judge Hwang stated, “It is clearly established that the defendant repeatedly struck the face and head of taxi driver B with his fist while the taxi was in operation,” adding, “Considering the defendant’s incomprehensible denial of the crime, lack of remorse, and absence of efforts to seek forgiveness, the sentence was determined accordingly.”

The prosecution appealed the first-instance fine verdict, citing inappropriate sentencing.

Meanwhile, in 2021, the court sentenced a passenger who assaulted a taxi driver in anger during a political discussion to four months in prison with a two-year probation and ordered 80 hours of community service.

At that time, the passenger criticized former President Moon Jae-in and Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, during a political conversation with the taxi driver. When the driver retorted, “Who is as clean as former Minister Cho Kuk?” the passenger became enraged and slapped the driver multiple times.

After the taxi driver stopped the car and fled outside, the passenger chased him, repeatedly hitting his face and head and even twisting his arm.