Court upholds 1.5-year sentence for man in his 60s who injured police officer
In short
A man in his 60s lost his appeal and will serve a one-year-six-month prison term for injuring a police officer while drunk, after Suwon High Court dismissed his appeal on 4 October. According to Yonhap, he swung a paper bag containing an empty bottle at an officer’s face at a police box in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam, on the night of 24 September 2025, injuring the officer’s jaw. The appeals court said the first-instance sentence was appropriate.
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A man in his 60s convicted of injuring a police officer while drunk lost his appeal on 4 October, with Suwon High Court Criminal Division 14 dismissing the appeal and upholding the first-instance sentence of one year and six months in prison, according to Yonhap. The appeals court said the lower court’s sentencing had been appropriately determined after weighing the various circumstances and that the sentence did not appear too heavy to be unjust, Yonhap reported. Newsis also reported a second-instance prison sentence for a drunk man in his 60s who assaulted a police officer, without giving further details of the case. [ 1 , 2 ]
Yonhap reported that the man was charged with special obstruction of official duties causing injury. At around 22:40 on 24 September 2025, he went to a police box in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam, while intoxicated and asked officers to punish the owner of a bar. When a police sergeant advised him to go home, he swore at the officer and swung a paper bag containing an empty bottle at the officer’s face, according to the report. The officer suffered a partial rupture of muscles in the jaw area and injuries that required about 20 days of treatment. [ 2 ]
The first-instance court said the offense undermined the lawful exercise of public authority and threatened a public official’s safety, requiring strict punishment, and noted that the defendant had a prior conviction for a similar crime, Yonhap reported. The court also cited his admission of the offense as a mitigating factor. The appeals court said it saw no grounds to find the lower court’s sentence unreasonably heavy, and dismissed the appeal. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The ruling concerns the enforcement of official duties and the safety of police officers on duty. The first-instance court stressed the need for strict punishment and noted the defendant had a prior conviction for a similar crime, which the appeals court did not disturb. The case itself is a domestic criminal matter with little direct consequence for readers outside South Korea.
Key facts
- Suwon High Court Criminal Division 14 dismissed the defendant’s appeal and upheld the first-instance sentence of one year and six months in prison. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The defendant was charged with special obstruction of official duties causing injury (특수공무집행방해 치상). [ 2 ]
- The incident took place at around 22:40 on 24 September 2025 at a police box in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam. [ 2 ]
- The defendant, intoxicated, came to the police box asking that a bar owner be punished and swore at an officer who advised him to go home before swinging a paper bag containing an empty bottle at the officer’s face. [ 2 ]
- The officer suffered a partial rupture of muscles in the jaw area and injuries requiring about 20 days of treatment. [ 2 ]
- The first-instance court said the case undermined the lawful exercise of public authority and threatened a public official’s safety, warranting strict punishment, and cited the defendant’s prior conviction for a similar offense; it counted his admission of the crime as a mitigating factor. [ 2 ]
- The appeals court said the lower court’s sentence was appropriately determined considering the various circumstances and did not appear unreasonably heavy. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A man in his 60s convicted over injuring a police officer while drunk had his appeal dismissed and received a prison sentence, as reported after the 4 October ruling. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The case concerned an assault on a police officer by a heavily intoxicated man, reported by both outlets on the same day. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- The full details of the incident, the charge and the courts’ reasoning rest on a single outlet, Yonhap. The article text carried under the Newsis document does not describe this case at all, so the specifics are not corroborated by a second outlet.
- Whether the defendant intends to take the case further, and whether any further appeal is available. The documents do not say whether either side plans a further challenge to the ruling.
- The names and identities of the defendant and the injured officer. Yonhap identifies them only as the defendant, a man in his 60s, and B, a police sergeant; no names are given.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The defendant, intoxicated, visits a police box in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam, asks officers to punish a bar owner and, after an officer advises him to go home, swings a paper bag containing an empty bottle at the officer’s face, injuring his jaw (24 September 2025). [ 2 ]
- Outlets publish reports that Suwon High Court dismissed the defendant’s appeal and upheld the one-year-six-month prison sentence (4 October 2026). [ 1 , 2 ]