A man in his 30s who fired a slingshot out of resentment towards his former workplace has been sentenced to prison.
According to the legal community on the 27th, the Seoul Northern District Court Criminal 12 Division sentenced the suspect identified as Kang to one year in prison on the 21st. He was charged with special injury and special property damage.
On the afternoon of December 25 last year, Kang fired a stone with a hunting slingshot about 13.4 inches long at his former workplace from the 5th-floor railing of a commercial building in Nowon-gu, Seoul. This damaged the building’s windows and injured an employee who was standing in front of the building, taking three weeks to heal completely.
Kang worked as an employee at an Italian restaurant in Nowon-gu, Seoul, for about a year since September 2022. He committed the crime out of resentment, feeling unjustly fired after receiving work-related reprimands from the manager.
The court said, “The defendant is a first-time offender who fully acknowledges his wrongdoing, has amicably settled with the manager, and deposited KRW 5 million ($4,200) for the victim’s recovery are favorable circumstances.” However, the court pointed out, “The nature of the crime is very serious as it was deliberately committed using a hunting slingshot he had purchased.”
The court continued, “The defendant inflicted significant physical and psychological harm on the victim by hitting the bridge of their nose,” adding, “The victim, their family, and friends are hoping for a severe punishment for Kang. The victim has expressed that they have no intention of receiving the defendant’s settlement.”
