"Martial Law Game" Assaults... Yangyang County Official Admits to All Charges of Harassing Sanitation Workers

First Hearing Held at Chuncheon District Court Sokcho Branch
Defendant Admits to Habitual Intimidation and Assault Charges

A public official from Yangyang County, Gangwon Province, who stood trial on charges of abusing and harassing sanitation workers, has admitted to all charges.

On January 14, Judge Lee Eunsang of the Chuncheon District Court Sokcho Branch Criminal Division 1 held the first hearing for Mr. A, a man in his 40s and a Grade 7 driver for Yangyang County, who was indicted and detained on charges of coercion, habitual intimidation, habitual assault, and insult. From July to November last year, Mr. A was brought to trial for allegedly committing 60 instances of coercion, 60 instances of assault, 10 instances of intimidation, and 7 instances of insult against three sanitation workers in their 20s (one permanent employee and two temporary workers) under his supervision.

A Yangyang County public official suspected of abuse of power is leaving after the pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review) held at the Chuncheon District Court Sokcho Branch. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to the indictment, Mr. A is accused of abusing his authority and harassing subordinates at work over trivial complaints or moods. He reportedly exercised his power by intentionally parking the garbage collection vehicle far away, forcing the victims to walk or run after the vehicle, and deliberately driving slowly to delay work.

He also harassed the victims, citing the decline in the value of his stock holdings. He made statements such as "I declare martial law until the stock price reaches my target," and "If you don't listen, I will offer you as a sacrifice and trample you," and forced the victims to lie face down on the ground and ordered other victims to step on them, a form of assault known as "Meongseokmari."

Additionally, he forced the victims to wear red underwear "to raise the stock price" and repeatedly checked whether they complied. He also coerced each victim to purchase 100 shares of a specific stock.

Other habitual acts of violence included throwing cigarette butts, firing BB guns, tossing lit matches, dousing the victims with water, and kicking them. While driving, he pretended to let go of the steering wheel to threaten the victims and made statements such as "I'll kill you slowly." He also insulted the victims in public places with many passersby.

Mr. A admitted to all charges in court on this day. Although he did not make any statements during the pretrial detention hearing, he submitted three letters of reflection to the court after being indicted.

Mr. A's attorney stated, "The defendant acknowledges all charges and is deeply remorseful. He sincerely seeks forgiveness from the victims and is thoroughly reflecting on the social disturbance he has caused."

The victims attending the trial pleaded for strict punishment for Mr. A.

The court stated, "The matter is serious and has attracted significant public attention," and urged Mr. A to offer a sincere apology and take steps toward compensation and recovery for the victims. The next hearing is scheduled for March 11 at 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted an ex officio investigation and imposed a fine of 8 million won on Yangyang County, criticizing its inadequate response. The Ministry pointed out that Yangyang County failed to promptly investigate the occurrence of workplace harassment (a violation of the Labor Standards Act) and did not provide sexual harassment prevention training (a violation of the Act on Gender Equality in Employment).

However, regarding the violation of the Labor Standards Act, the Ministry accepted the county's objection earlier this month and ultimately imposed a fine of 5 million won only for the violation of the Act on Gender Equality in Employment.