Charged with Abusive Acts and Insult
A man in his 20s who committed abusive acts against a junior soldier during military service was sentenced to a fine again in the appellate court.
On the 15th, Chief Judge Shim Hyun-geun of the Criminal Division 1 at Chuncheon District Court dismissed the prosecution's appeal and upheld the original fine of 7 million won against Mr. A (23), who was charged with abuse of power and insult.
Mr. A is accused of abusing and insulting Mr. B, a junior soldier, at a military unit located in Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon Province, during his military service from April to May 2023.
On April 21, 2023, at the military unit’s barracks, Mr. A did not allow Mr. B to sleep for about an hour because Mr. B laughed when other soldiers imitated Mr. A’s tic disorder symptoms. Later, in May of the same year, Mr. A ordered Mr. B to perform a "sleep show," instructing him to sing and dance. When Mr. B refused, Mr. A insulted him as a "waste" in front of other soldiers. Afterwards, under the pretext of teaching Mr. B the ammunition depot duty procedures, Mr. A made him sit in front of the barracks desk and write down what he said in a notebook, while insulting him with phrases like "You’re a waste and can’t remember," preventing him from sleeping for 1 hour and 30 minutes despite it being bedtime.
Additionally, after night duty, Mr. B was forced to lie face down and stretch out because he did not quickly move the firearm to the integrated storage box, and was made to repeatedly say phrases such as "I am a waste. I am stupid."
The first trial court sentenced Mr. A to a fine of 7 million won, considering that it was his first offense, the degree of abuse, the circumstances of the initial crime, and the fact that no settlement was reached with the victim. The prosecution appealed, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal. The appellate court explained the sentencing by stating, "The reasons claimed by the prosecutor for the appeal appear to have already been reflected in the sentencing by the original court’s evaluation," and "Since the original judgment, no new circumstances warranting adjustment of the sentence or special changes have been found."
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