Man Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for Leaving Weapon at Han Dong-hoon's Home

A man in his 40s, charged with leaving a weapon in front of the residence of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon when he was the Minister of Justice, has been sentenced to one year in prison in a retrial.

The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judge Lee Seung-han) handed down the sentence today (June 18) to the defendant, surnamed Hong, who faced charges including special intimidation.

Hong had previously received a one-year prison sentence in both the first and second trials.

In today's ruling, the court determined that the charge of special intimidation, which was upheld by the lower courts, was not proven. Instead, the court applied the charge of intimidation and imposed the same sentence.

This follows the Supreme Court's decision in April to remand the case for further deliberation.

At that time, the Supreme Court ruled that because Hong had left the fruit knife and another knife in front of the front door and exited the building, he could not be considered to have threatened the victim while carrying a dangerous object; therefore, the charge of special intimidation did not apply, and the case was sent back for reconsideration.

Under the Criminal Act, the crime of special intimidation applies to individuals who threaten others while carrying a dangerous object.

The court stated today, "When the victim discovered the fruit knife and the other knife, the defendant had already left the scene and was not in possession or control of the dangerous objects," adding, "Even if the defendant used the dangerous objects as a medium to convey a threat, it cannot be said that he was carrying them."

The ruling implies that the charge of special intimidation, which is recognized when the likelihood of realizing a threat is increased while in actual control of a dangerous object, could not be applied to Hong.

However, the court upheld the conviction for the charge of intimidation that was included in the original indictment.

Hong was arrested and indicted in October 2023 for leaving a weapon and a lighter in front of the front door of an apartment in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where the former representative resided.

Both the first and second trials had recognized the charge of special intimidation against Hong and sentenced him to one year in prison.

The charges related to the Stalking Punishment Act were found not guilty in all instances.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.