A 43-year-old man, with a surname Hong has been sentenced to one year in prison by a Seoul court for leaving a weapon in front of the home of ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon in southern Seoul last year.
Han found himself targeted by the man’s actions, which included placing a weapon and a torch lighter at the entrance of his apartment in the Gangnam district of Seoul in October. The court also found that Hong had repeatedly visited Han’s neighborhood, raising concerns about potential threats to the ruling party leader’s safety.
Han Dong-hoon, who currently chairs the People’s Power Emergency Measure Committee, was the victim of this unsettling incident, which resulted in Hong’s sentencing.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down a one-year prison term to Hong after he was indicted on charges of special intimidation and violation of the Stalking Crime Penalty Act.
Han Dong-hoon, currently the leader of the ruling People Power Party, was the justice minister at the time of the incident. While Hong was found guilty of this offense, the court acquitted him of the stalking charge, determining that his actions were a one-time occurrence.
According to the court’s verdict, the defendant harbored a delusion that Han, in his capacity as justice minister, was persecuting him. As a result, Hong broke into Han’s residence with dangerous items and made threats by placing them there.
The court emphasized the severity of the crime against a high-ranking public official, highlighting the likelihood of public criticism. Additionally, the court noted that Hong had planned and executed the offense while on probation for previous crimes, indicating a lack of remorse or regard for the law.
During the court proceedings, Hong’s emotional outburst led to a brief altercation with court guards as he exclaimed, “The country has harassed me,” and “Stop preventing me from speaking,” upon hearing the verdict.
The court shed light on Hong’s motive for leaving the weapon, stating that despite having access to dangerous objects, he deliberately chose to place them as a warning message aimed at intimidating Chairman Han.
While Hong claimed to have acted out of feelings of distress and persecution, the court did not consider this as grounds for reducing his sentence. However, the court acknowledged that Hong’s actions did not constitute a premeditated stalking attempt, as he only engaged in reconnaissance around Chairman Han’s residence once before committing the offense, and the placement of the weapon occurred on a single occasion. Consequently, he was acquitted of violating the Stalking Punishment Act.
Following the court’s decision, Hong’s outburst led to his arrest as he shouted, “The country bullied me,” and “Don’t cover your mouth.” After the sentencing, these remarks indicated his dissatisfaction with the outcome.
The incident occurred in the early hours of October 11 last year when Hong left a weapon and an ignition lighter outside the entrance of an apartment building in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where Chairman Han resides. Hong’s actions were perceived as a deliberate attempt to intimidate Chairman Han, leading to his subsequent arrest and legal proceedings.
