Flaunting Gang Affiliation
On October 6, Judge Ko Youngsik of the Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 9 announced that he had sentenced three members of a criminal gang in their twenties to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of joint extortion after they threatened a bar owner when their alcohol bill was higher than expected.
According to the court, Mr. A and others were put on trial after, in April, they threatened the owner and staff of a bar in Daejeon by showing their tattoos and flaunting their gang affiliation when their alcohol bill came to 910,000 won, which was more than anticipated.
The investigation found that they shouted, "There was a minor here. We're going to report you," and threatened the staff by throwing chairs and beer glasses on the floor, ultimately paying only 460,000 won of the bill.
Judge Ko stated, "The defendants intimidated the victims by flaunting their gang membership and paid only part of the bill, extorting the rest, which makes the nature of the crime particularly serious." He added, "However, I have also considered that they admitted their wrongdoing and showed remorse, the financial damage was not substantial, and the victims reached a settlement and do not wish for punishment."
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