[Anchor]
A factory owner accused of severely injuring a foreign worker's internal organs by spraying an industrial air gun at him has been sentenced to 3 years in prison in the first trial. The court sharply rebuked the defendant, stating, "It appears he enjoyed tormenting employees under the guise of a joke."
Reporter Im Jihyeon has the details.
[Reporter]
Last February, a Thai national identified as A, who was working at an auto parts cleaning factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was rushed to the emergency room complaining of severe abdominal pain.
Victim A claimed that the in-his-sixties factory owner, B, inserted an industrial air gun near his anus and blasted high-pressure air into him. A underwent emergency surgery after doctors discovered a rectal perforation measuring about 10 centimeters.
After the incident came to light, owner B claimed that he was merely carrying a box while holding the air gun, which accidentally discharged toward A's lower body.
[Owner B / Company CEO (last April): I turned around to work (and bumped into A), and he went 'Ow.' So I just asked, 'What hurts?' and left it at that.]
However, the first-instance court sentenced owner B to 3 years in prison yesterday (October 15), recognizing him guilty of special injury and assault under the Labor Standards Act.
The court determined that while victim A consistently stated that B inserted the air gun about 2 to 3 centimeters into his anus and sprayed it for roughly 7 to 8 seconds, B lacked credibility as his statements shifted during the police investigation.
The fact that a perforation occurred only inside the rectum without any external trauma around the anal area also served as a key basis for the ruling.
The court strongly rebuked the employer, stating, "He appears to have enjoyed tormenting his employees under the guise of playing a prank," and added, "He even pressured the victim to return to Thailand in an attempt to cover up the incident."
The court also pointed out that although B reached a settlement with A and submitted a letter of apology, he did not appear truly remorseful, noting that he had deducted a portion of the hospital bills from A's wages.
A's legal representative conveyed that upon hearing the first-instance verdict, A reacted by saying, "It seems justice was served," and expressed a desire to return to his home country.
(Video Reporting: Kim Se-kyung | Video Editing: Kim Jin-won | Design: Lee Jong-jeong)
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