Man in His 60s Given Suspended Sentence for Assaulting Protester with Different Political Views in Pyeongsan Village

Ulsan District Court: 10-Month Prison Term, 2-Year Suspension
"Targeted People with Different Opinions as Victims"

A man in his 60s who was put on trial for assaulting and insulting protesters and YouTubers with different political views has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.

According to Yonhap News on June 26, Judge Sagong Min of the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 2 sentenced Mr. A, who was tried on charges including special assault, to 10 months in prison with a two-year suspension, and ordered 120 hours of community service.

In April 2023, Mr. A insulted Mr. B, who was holding a solo protest near the parking lot of Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan, where former President Moon Jae-in's private residence is located, by calling him a derogatory term for Japanese people and slapping him in the face. Mr. A continued to assault Mr. B on three additional occasions while Mr. B was protesting alone, pushing or kicking him in the shin, buttocks, and neck. Mr. A, who is known to be a progressive YouTuber, reportedly committed these acts out of anger at Mr. B, who holds different political views, for continuing his solo protest.

Additionally, Mr. A insulted or used violence against other conservative YouTubers who were conducting live broadcasts in Pyeongsan Village. He also took a conservative YouTuber's mobile phone to prevent them from broadcasting. During a dispute over interference with assemblies, he drove his car toward an opponent as if to hit them, then stopped abruptly, causing the person to fall.

It was found that Mr. A repeated similar offenses even while being prosecuted and tried for previous incidents. The court stated, "The defendant's crimes are of poor character in that he targeted people with different political views or opinions under the pretense of freedom of expression and assembly." However, the court explained that "the relatively minor degree of harm to the victims was taken into consideration" in determining the sentence.

Since the inauguration of former President Yoon Suk-yeol in 2022, conservative groups and far-right YouTubers have continuously protested in the area around Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan, where former President Moon's private residence is located. It has been reported that dangerous items such as replica handguns and utility knives were found at some protests. As protests criticizing the former president using loudspeakers and speakers continued day and night, complaints from local residents surged. Although the scale of protests decreased at the end of that year, demonstrations using loudspeakers reportedly continue.