A man in his 20s who committed brutal acts such as forcing a junior soldier to play a punching game and choking him during his military service received a suspended sentence following a settlement with the victim.

Judge Park Dong-wook of the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 3 announced today (October 12) that he sentenced A, a 22-year-old indicted on charges of abuse of power through duress, assault, and insult, to 10 months in prison, with the sentence suspended.

A suspended sentence is a ruling where, for minor crimes, the sentencing is deferred for a certain period, and upon expiration of that period, the case is treated as though prosecution has been dropped.

At the time, A, who was a squad leader, was accused of subjecting a junior private, B (20), to abuse by forcing him to play the so-called "one-punch game" and heavily striking his shoulder with a fist at a military unit in Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do, in August of last year.

Despite B refusing to participate, A told him to "come quickly" and dragged him into the game. After using rock-paper-scissors to determine the striking order, A had B, himself, and another soldier take turns striking one another roughly 25 times.

In July of last year, A pinned B down under the pretext of joking around in the barracks and choked his neck with the chin strap of a jungle hat. In August, A also struck B's chest area with a military belt because B smiled during roll call.

Although A claimed they played the game in a free atmosphere, the court acknowledged the abusive acts based on the findings that B, who held a lower rank, would have found it difficult to refuse A's suggestion, and that the assaults continued even as B complained of pain, leaving bruises.

Judge Park stated, "The nature of the crime is poor," but added, "The sentence was determined by taking into consideration factors such as the fact that the victim does not want punishment after reaching a settlement by paying a substantial amount of money, and that the defendant is a first-time offender."

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