Seniors Given Prison Sentences for Cruel Bullying of Club Junior, Including Burying in Sand

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

Gwangju District Court Judge Kim Sung-jun, presiding over Criminal Chamber 11, announced today (September 8) that he sentenced two 20-year-old men, including A, 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 sentenced to a fine of 3 million won.

A and the others were indicted on charges of repeatedly assaulting B, a first-year junior in their 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 buried B's body from the neck down in a pit in the school's ssireum (traditional Korean wrestling) sandlot for about 30 minutes, tied his limbs to a chair, put a dust mask on him, and sprayed a fire extinguisher.

They also subjected him to various acts of harassment, such as tightly wrapping his entire body in packing plastic and placing him on top of a locker for about 30 minutes, and smashing the screen of B's cell phone by throwing it to the floor.

They committed these acts because B's physique was small and he was introverted.

The court did not place the defendants under court custody at the trial, taking into consideration that they were first-time offenders and juveniles at the time of the crime, and to afford them an opportunity for victim compensation.

In addition, for one defendant who was forgiven by the victim, the court sentenced him to a fine instead of prison time.

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