Factory CEO Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Spraying Air Gun at Worker's Body

[Anchor]

A factory owner, accused of spraying an industrial air gun at a foreign worker and causing severe internal organ damage, has been sentenced to 3 years in prison in the first trial. The court sharply criticized the defendant, stating that he seemed to enjoy bullying under the guise of a joke and has not genuinely reflected on 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.

A claimed that the 60-something factory owner, B, inserted an industrial air gun near his anus and blasted high-pressure air into him. A underwent emergency surgery after a rectal perforation measuring about 10 centimeters was discovered.

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 holding the equipment.

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

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

The court determined that while A consistently testified that B inserted the air gun about 2 to 3 centimeters into his anus and sprayed air for about 7 to 8 seconds, B' lacked credibility as his statements changed during the police investigation.

The fact that a perforation occurred exclusively inside the rectum without external trauma around the anal area also served as a basis for the court's judgment.

The court sharply reprimanded the business owner, stating, "It appears he enjoyed tormenting his employees under the pretext of a joke," and added, "He even pressured the victim to return to Thailand to cover up the incident."

The court also pointed out that although B reached a settlement with A and submitted a letter of apology, he did not appear to genuinely reflect on his wrongdoings, given actions such as deducting part of the hospital expenses from A's salary.

A's attorney conveyed that A reacted to the first-instance ruling by saying, "It seems justice was served," and expressed his desire to return to his home country.

(Video by: Kim Se-kyung | Video Editing by: Kim Jin-won | Graphics by: Lee Jong-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.