Karaoke owner inflicts severe injuries to customer, reports victim as 'drunk'
Incheon District Court said Monday it convicted the 56-year-old defendant for the violent assault resulting in death that occurred at around 12:22 a.m. on Dec. 1. The defendant was indicted for beating the 64-year-old victim on the head three times after a quarrel over fees. The victim then tumbled down the stairs, causing further head injuries.
The defendant did not provide any aid to the victim, calling the 119 emergency services and reporting the victim as intoxicated. This led to the emergency operators mistakenly assessing the victim's health status and sending the victim home without proper medical care.
The victim received medical treatment afterwards but died four days later, due to severe head damage and subsequent subdural hemorrhage.
In the ruling, the court said the bereaved family has suffered substantial shock and sadness from the sudden death of the victim, and has requested the defendant to receive a harsh punishment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
$1.25 jail meal has Koreans talking about ex-presidential couple
With former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee held in separate Seoul detention centers, public curiosity has zeroed in on the couple's daily life behind bars — particularly their $1.25 jail meals. The Justice Ministry revealed that three meals are provided per day for every inmate at the Seoul detention center, budgeted at 5,201 won. This amounts to approximately 1,730 won per meal. According to the monthly meal plan of the correctional authorities, Yoon is expected to have a 1,730 won ($1.25) jail meal consisting of beef and vegetable porridge with steamed potatoes and salt for Wednesday breakfast. Meals for lunch and dinner are served in a traditional Korean style with rice, soup, side dishes and kimchi. The detained former president, who has been in custody at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, since July 10, is scheduled to have braised chicken with seasoned dried seaweed and stew with soft tofu for Wednesday's lunch and dinner, respectively. Meanwhile, sliced white bread with strawberry jam, salad and sausage are available for the former first lady's Wednesday breakfast, according to the Korea Correctional Service. Kim will have pork kimchijjigae, or kimchi stew, and sweet and sour dumplings for her lunch, like any other inmate at the Seoul Southern Detention Center. Wednesday's dinner will be chilled cucumber and seaweed soup with rice and kimchi. Kim's attorneys have been telling the media that she wasn't eating well. The inmates are provided with nutritious meals totaling over 2,500 kcal per day. And no outside food is allowed. The ministry also explained that the quantities may be adjusted in the event of a sharp rise in ingredient prices to ensure appropriate budget execution. Inmates are required to eat in their cells and have to wash their meal tray in the sink before returning it. While meals comprising rice, soup, side dishes and kimchi are served for most days of the month, the inmates occasionally have different food, including cereals, cream, pork cutlet and tteokbokki — rice cakes cooked in a spicy gochujang sauce — as well. The prison menu's disclosure sparked backlash, with some criticizing that alleged criminals are living better than many law-abiding citizens. One online community member expressed that 'the former president, who is in custody, is being fed with decent meals, while I survive on two packs of instant noodles.' 'The meals that inmates get are surprisingly luxurious. Even the children at day care centers don't eat this well,' another anonymous netizen commented on a YouTube video, titled 'Yoon Suk Yeol's detention center meal plan.' Though Yoon and Kim both receive the same meals as other inmates, both were assigned solitary cells given their status as the former presidential couple. The roughly 6.6-square-meter cell is furnished with a cabinet, television, sink, bathroom, foldable table and mattress. The former presidential couple's showering and exercise times are reportedly scheduled so that they do not overlap with those of other inmates.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Police launch 100-day nationwide crackdown on migrant worker abuse
South Korean police will launch a 100-day special crackdown on abuses against migrant workers, the Korean National Police Agency said Monday. Each of the nation's 18 regional police agencies has formed a special unit that will operate through Nov. 25 to investigate cases of violence, assault, confinement, coercion, humiliation, sexual abuse and labor exploitation targeting foreign workers. The initiative follows nationwide outrage over a video showing a Sri Lankan worker being strapped to a forklift and lifted off the ground. The incident occurred in February at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla Province, where the Sri Lankan, who had been working there for just three months, was allegedly harassed by a Korean forklift driver in his 50s after making mistakes on the job. The police units will identify cases by analyzing 112 emergency calls and gathering information from foreign worker support centers run by NGOs and multicultural organizations, and will launch investigations when necessary. The authorities will also establish a hotline with the Ministry of Employment and Labor to conduct joint on-site inspections, and plan to promptly notify the ministry of cases that fall under its jurisdiction, such as unpaid wages. On Sunday, Savitri Panabokke, Sri Lanka's ambassador to South Korea, visited Naju, where she called for stronger protection of migrant workers' rights and measures to prevent human rights abuses. "Although it is regrettable that such an incident occurred, the city has shown strong support and concern. The embassy will also seek to prevent a recurrence through labor education programs for our nationals," she said.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Korea Herald
South Korean found dead in Cambodian scam compound, signs of torture reported
The body of a South Korean man has been discovered in an alleged Cambodian scam compound, wrapped in blankets and plastic bags, his face swollen and bruised, indicating he may have been beaten to death. Cambodian police said the body was found Thursday in Kampot province, inside a large dumpster alongside another victim. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed one of the dead as a Korean national surnamed Park. The ministry said it immediately requested a full investigation from Cambodian authorities and is providing consular support to Park's family, although officials noted that "confirming further details has been difficult." What happened to Park appears bound up in the shadowy world of cybercrime compounds. The site where his body was discovered is one of dozens of massive operations in Cambodia reportedly run by Chinese organized crime groups. These compounds, often sealed off and heavily guarded, are infamous for voice phishing and fraudulent investment scams. Park is believed to have been held inside before being killed by the gang. The description of his body paints a grim picture. Local investigators reported extensive bruising and bloodstains, with swelling that suggests he endured sustained violence. The brutality echoes accounts from survivors of these scam compounds. One 28-year-old South Korean man who recently escaped told South Korean media, 'Chinese gang members will kill someone easily if money is involved.' He described beatings, electric shock and waterboarding as routine. Amnesty International estimates that more than 50 such scam compounds operate across Cambodia. Rights groups and local media alike describe them as places where national law enforcement has little reach, functioning almost as self-contained criminal enclaves. Local reports suspect that an unspecified number of South Koreans may be trapped inside these compounds, deceived by job postings advertising 'high-paying overseas employment' only to find themselves trafficked into forced labor once they have arrived. Data obtained by the office of Rep. Kim Geon from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows that the number of South Koreans reported kidnapped or detained in Cambodia rose from 21 in 2023 to 221 in 2024. In the first half of 2025 alone, officials estimate 212 cases, suggesting this year's total could reach double last year's figure. Despite the scale of the crisis, South Korea has struggled to intervene. Officials acknowledge that Cambodian scam compounds often operate beyond effective state control and that Seoul lacks investigative authority on the ground. At present only one South Korean police officer is stationed at the embassy in Phnom Penh. Victims who contact the embassy are advised to report directly to Cambodian police, as the embassy cannot carry out rescue missions or investigations on its own.
