▲ Jeonju District Court
An undocumented foreign national who struck a citizen lying on a road at dawn with a car and fled the scene has received a prison sentence upheld in an appellate court.
Jeonju District Court Criminal Division 3-2 (Presiding Judge Hwang Ji-ae) announced today (August 12) that it dismissed the prosecutor's appeal and upheld the lower court's sentence of two years in prison for A (27), an Uzbek national indicted on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (hit-and-run causing injury) and violation of the Immigration Control Act.
A was indicted for driving a car in Osikdo-dong, Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, at 3:03 AM on December 6 of last year, striking B (50), who was lying on the road, and fleeing.
B sustained severe injuries requiring an unspecified number of days for treatment due to the accident.
A was driving without a driver's license, traveling a distance of about 40 kilometers from Iksan Station to the accident site before the collision occurred.
Investigations revealed that A entered South Korea in March 2018 on a general training (D-4-1) visa typically issued to language school students, but remained in the country illegally for about eight years without leaving after the authorized period of stay expired in September of that year.
The court of first instance sentenced A to two years in prison, stating, "The defendant stayed in the country long-term without valid status, drove without a license, caused an accident resulting in severe injuries to the victim, and fled, making the culpability high." However, the prosecution appealed, arguing that the punishment was too light.
In response, the appellate court stated the grounds for dismissing the appeal, noting, "The lower court took into consideration the victim's negligence—lying on a deserted road wearing dark clothes—which contributed to the accident. As the lower court weighed all favorable and unfavorable circumstances for the defendant in determining the sentence, no new circumstances were found in the appellate court to modify the sentence to a heavier one."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.