Received Jeonse Deposit Support, Abused Call Center Agents... Man in His 20s Gets Suspended Sentence for 9 Months of Power Abuse

19 Instances of Abusive Language Over 9 Months... 10-Month Prison Term, 2-Year Suspension
Prison Sentence Includes 120 Hours of Community Service... "Obstruction of Business Charge Recognized"
Verbal Abuse Over Unmet Demands... Severe Abuse of Power Punished
Busan District Court: "Remorse and First Offense Considered"... Suspended Prison Sentence Imposed

A man in his 20s who repeatedly hurled abusive language and verbal threats at call center agents responsible for counseling on jeonse deposit support has been sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first trial.

On December 27, the Busan District Court Criminal Division 6 (Presiding Judge Kim Jeongwoo) sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of obstruction of business, to 10 months in prison with a two-year suspension, and ordered him to complete 120 hours of community service.

Mr. A, who had received jeonse deposit support from Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), called the call center of an LH subsidiary a total of 19 times over approximately nine months starting from March 2024. He is accused of obstructing work by directing extremely offensive language and insults at the call center agents because his requests were not immediately met during the counseling process.

The court stated, "The defendant's conduct was egregious, and he has not been forgiven by the affected call center agents." However, the court also noted, "The sentencing took into account that the defendant is remorseful for his actions and has no prior criminal record beyond fines."