Busan roundhouse kick assailant ordered to pay 100 million won to compensate victim

Social Affairs

Busan roundhouse kick assailant ordered to pay 100 million won to compensate victim

Published: 05 Sep. 2024, 19:26

The man surnamed Lee accused of the attempted murder and sexual assault of a woman in her 20s leaves the Busan High Court after sentencing in June last year. [YONHAP]

A local court ordered the assailant in the so-called Busan roundhouse kick case to pay 100 million won ($74,870) in compensation to the victim in a decision on Thursday.

The Busan District Court sided with the victim in the civil lawsuit, citing that the assailant, a 31-year-old surnamed Lee, did not turn in a statement of defense and did not show up to the court. Such actions by Lee were considered the same as admitting the charges against him.

The ruled amount of 100 million won was the same as the amount the victim had sought in the damage compensation lawsuit.

Lee, was convicted of attempting to rape and murder a woman in her 20s last year.

On May 22, 2022, Lee knocked down the victim with a roundhouse kick to the back of her head in the hallway of the first floor of her apartment building in Busanjin District, Busan. He kept assaulting her, striking her head repeatedly until she lost consciousness.

On the day of the incident, the assailant tailed the young woman for around 10 minutes, following her to her home at dawn. After knocking her out, he is accused of dragging her to a blind spot that could not be captured by CCTV. He tried to take off her clothes and sexually assault her. He escaped from the building seven minutes later.

In October 2022, the Busan District Court handed a 12-year prison sentence to the assailant, recognizing the charge of attempted murder. The sentence was lower than the 20 years that the prosecution sought for, igniting much public fury.

Lee appealed the case and the Busan High Court handed a 20-year prison sentence to the assailant on June 12 last year, recognizing the additional charge of attempted sexual assault, on top of murder. The ruling still fell short of the 35 years that the prosecution requested from the court.

Lee tried to appeal once more, but the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the 20-year prison sentence, as well as the high court’s decision to disclose Lee’s personal information and bar him from working at institutions related to children, young people and disabled people for 10 years.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]