Court: "No medical records of sleepwalking"... Sentenced to a 5 million won fine
A man in his 40s who wandered naked in a hotel corridor trying to open other guests' doors ultimately became a convicted offender. The man claimed in court that he had sleepwalking disorder, but his claim was not accepted.
On the 29th, Yonhap News reported that Judge Park Seong-min of the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 3 sentenced Mr. A (49), who was charged with public indecency and attempted trespassing, to a fine of 5 million won and ordered him to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program.
Mr. A was brought to trial for allegedly wandering naked in the corridor of a hotel located in Inje, Gangwon Province, on July 24 last year, pulling on the door handles of various rooms. He was also accused of shaking some door handles multiple times and knocking on doors.
Mr. A’s defense, who filed for a formal trial after objecting to a summary order, argued during the trial that he was sleepwalking and was trying to go to the bathroom. However, the court did not accept this. The court acknowledged the charges based on the fact that Mr. A had no history of treatment for sleepwalking, that he came outside wearing sneakers despite having a bathroom inside his room, and that the responding police officers testified that Mr. A was not intoxicated at the time and communicated smoothly.
Meanwhile, somnambulism, characterized by walking during sleep, is a sleep disorder that mainly appears in childhood and is commonly called “mongyubyeong” in Korean. The core symptom is getting up and walking or running in a drowsy state during sleep. During this, inappropriate excitement or violent behavior may occur. The person may talk while wandering but appears slow and somewhat dull, and may bump into objects or fall and get injured.
The exact cause is not yet known. However, since it often runs in families, genetic factors are presumed to be involved.
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