Fearful Military Game: "Come Quickly," Choked Neck with Chin Strap

A man in his 20s who committed acts of cruelty, including forcing a junior soldier to participate in a punching game and choking him during military service, has received a suspended sentence following a settlement with the victim.

Judge Park Dong-wook of Criminal Division 3 at the Chuncheon District Court announced today (October 12) that he has sentenced A (22), who was indicted on charges of abuse of power, assault, and insult, to 10 months in prison with the sentence suspended.

A suspended sentence is a ruling where, for minor crimes, the pronouncement of the sentence is deferred for a certain period, after which the right of prosecution is extinguished and it is considered as though no indictment was made.

A, who was a squad leader at the time, is accused of committing acts of cruelty in August of last year at a base in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, by forcing a junior private, B (20), to play the so-called 'one-punch game' and hitting his shoulder hard with a fist.

Despite B refusing to participate, A told him to "come quickly" and dragged him into the game. After using rock-paper-scissors to determine the striking order, A had B, himself, and another soldier take turns striking each other about 25 times.

A also choked B with the chin strap of a jungle hat after pinning him down under the pretext of joking around in the barracks in July of last year, and struck B's chest area with a military belt in August because B smiled during roll call.

A argued that the game was played in a free atmosphere, but the court recognized the acts of cruelty based on evidence such as the fact that B, who was lower in rank, would have found it difficult to refuse A's proposal, and that the assault continued despite B complaining of pain, resulting in bruises.

Judge Park stated, "The nature of the crime is poor," but added, "The sentence was determined by taking into consideration factors such as the fact that the victim does not want punishment after reaching a settlement by paying a substantial amount of money, and that the defendant is a first-time offender."

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