Man Who Cut Off Own Arm to Claim Work Injury Insurance Sentenced to Probation in Second Trial

A man who deliberately severed his own left arm to fake an industrial accident and illegally collected both workers' compensation and private insurance payouts has been sentenced to prison with probation in his second trial.

He previously served a prison term in connection with a separate trial involving fraud charges against private insurance companies for the same incident.

Judge Kang Shin-young of the Chuncheon District Court's Wonju Branch Criminal Division 1 announced that 31-year-old A, who was indicted without detention on charges of fraud and violation of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, was sentenced to one year in prison suspended for two years.

According to the indictment and other records, A severed his left arm in December 2020 using an electric meat saw, a bone cutter used for meat processing, while working at a food ingredient mart in Asan, South Chungcheong Province.

A claimed the incident was an industrial accident and filed for medical care benefits with the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, receiving a total of approximately 120 million won until November 2024.

A also filed claims with private insurers, collecting a total of approximately 180 million won.

A attempted to claim an additional 570 million won, but insurance companies suspected a staged accident and refused payment.

Indicted for violating the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud, A was sentenced to one year and two months in prison in December 2024.

During the trial, A's defense argued that it was merely an accidental mishap and not intentional, stating that he had no reason to commit such an act while enduring the pain and permanent disability of losing his left arm in his twenties. However, the court rejected these arguments.

At the time, the judge ruled that the incident was intentional based on several factors: A had newly signed up for seven insurance policies covering injury and disability about a month before the accident; he was facing about 100 million won in debts; he was right-handed yet his left arm was severed; and reattachment surgery on the severed arm could have been performed relatively promptly.

In the latest trial, the court took into consideration his prior prison sentence served in the previous case as a mitigating factor and handed down a suspended sentence.

Reported by Sim Yeong-gu | Edited by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.