Factory CEO Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Spraying Air Gun at Worker and Telling Him to Leave Korea

[Anchor]

A factory owner indicted for causing severe internal organ damage to a foreign worker by spraying an industrial air gun at him has been sentenced to 3 years in prison in the first trial. The court rebuked the defendant, stating that he seemed to enjoy bullying employees under the guise of a joke and has not shown genuine remorse for his wrongdoing.

Reporter Im Jihyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

In February, a Thai national, A, who was working at an automotive parts cleaning factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was rushed to the emergency room complaining of severe abdominal pain.

Worker A claimed that the 60-year-old factory owner, B, had inserted an industrial air gun into his rectal area and blasted high-pressure air. A underwent emergency surgery after doctors discovered a rectal perforation measuring about 10 centimeters.

After the incident came to light, B claimed that the air gun had accidentally discharged toward A's lower body while he was carrying a box and holding the tool.

[B / Company CEO (in April): I turned around to work (and bumped into A), and he went 'ouch.' So I just said, 'What hurts?' and brushed it off.]

However, the first-instance court sentenced B to 3 years in prison today (October 15), recognizing him guilty of special injury and assault under the Labor Standards Act.

The court determined that B's statements lacked credibility, noting that his accounts shifted during police investigations, whereas worker A consistently testified that B inserted the air gun about 2 to 3 centimeters into his rectum and sprayed air for roughly 7 to 8 seconds.

The fact that a perforation occurred only inside the rectum without external trauma around the anal area also served as a key basis for the ruling.

The court strongly reprimanded the business owner, stating, "It appears he enjoyed bullying his employees under the guise of playing practical jokes, and he even pressured the victim to return to Thailand to cover up the incident."

The court further pointed out that although B reached a settlement with A and submitted letters of apology, he did not appear truly remorseful, noting actions such as deducting a portion of A's hospital bills from his salary.

A's attorney conveyed that A reacted to the first-instance ruling by saying, "It seems to have turned out well," and expressed his desire to return to his home country.

(Video reporting: Kim Se-gyeong | Video editing: Kim Jin-won | Design: Lee Jong-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.