A man in his 50s accused of attempting to abduct a minor after approaching them with the offer to pay for their taxi fare has received a heavier sentence in his appellate trial than in the first instance.
The Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Appeals Division 3-3 (Presiding Judges Yoo Hwan-woo, Jang Yoon-sun, and Cho Gyu-seol) overturned the original sentence of 10 months in prison and sentenced Kim, who was indicted under detention for attempted abduction of a minor, to 1 year and 2 months in prison during the appellate sentencing hearing held today (July 16).
The court stated, "The defendant continues to deny the charges and shows no remorse, persisting with claims that cannot be accepted," adding, "We judged that the original sentence was too lenient."
Kim is accused of attempting to abduct a 16-year-old female student who was waiting for a bus at a bus stop in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, last March.
According to the investigation, he forced the victim into a taxi without her consent by saying, "I will pay for your taxi fare," and followed her on foot for about 250 meters for 8 minutes after she got out of the vehicle.
Kim was arrested by police who were dispatched following a report from the taxi driver.
(Photo: Yonhap News)