Buried in Sand and Wrapped in Plastic: Brutal Senior Bullies Handed Prison Sentences

Seniors who subjected a high school club junior to prolonged abuse straight out of a movie—such as burying him in a sandbox with only his head exposed and wrapping his entire body in packaging plastic—have been sentenced to prison.

Gwangju District Court Judge Kim Sung-jun, presiding over Criminal Division 11, announced today (September 8) that he sentenced two 20-year-old men, identified as A and others, to one to two years in prison each on charges including violations of the Act on the Punishment of Violations of Violence, etc.

Another 20-year-old man indicted along with them was fined 3 million won.

A and his accomplices were indicted for frequently assaulting victim B, a junior in the same school club, using steel pipes, wooden sticks, and fists over a period of about two years starting in June 2022 while they were attending a vocational high school in the Gwangju area.

They forced B into a hole in the school's ssireum (traditional Korean wrestling) sand pit, burying his body from the neck down for about 30 minutes, and tied his limbs to a chair before putting a dust mask on him and discharging a fire extinguisher.

They subjected him to various forms of torment, such as wrapping his entire body tightly in packaging plastic and placing him on top of a locker for about 30 minutes, and smashing B's smartphone on the floor to break the screen.

They committed these acts because B had a small physical build and an introverted personality.

The court did not place the defendants under court custody at the time of the ruling, considering that they were first-time offenders, juveniles at the time of the crime, and to provide an opportunity for compensation to the victim.

In addition, for one defendant who was forgiven by the victim, a fine was handed down instead of prison time.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.