Man in His 40s Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Stranger Over Cigarette and Threatening Police with Weapon

A man in his 40s who assaulted a stranger after demanding a cigarette and threatened police officers with a weapon has been sentenced to prison.

On December 21, Judge Kim Eonji of the Ulsan District Court's Criminal Division 9 announced that defendant A, who was tried on charges including obstruction of official duties with a dangerous weapon, was sentenced to one year in prison.

In July of this year, A approached a man in his 40s, identified as B, on a road in Nam-gu, Ulsan, and asked for a cigarette. When a verbal argument broke out, A said, "I was sent by a crime syndicate boss. I'll kill you," and punched B in the face.

In September of this year, A called 112 from a restaurant, saying, "I'm going to kill myself. Come quickly," and then threatened responding police officers by brandishing a weapon as if to stab them.

The court stated, "The defendant assaulted a complete stranger for no particular reason and threatened police officers with a weapon, which are serious offenses." The court added, "However, the sentence takes into account the defendant's remorse and the fact that he has no prior convictions of a similar nature."