Political Dispute Leads to Assault During Dinner: Two Sentenced

A 58-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man have been sentenced to prison for engaging in a violent altercation over political differences during a meal. The Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Ha Jin-woo, sentenced Park (박모) and Jin (진모) to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of special injury.

The incident occurred on January 6 at around 4:40 PM in a shabu-shabu restaurant located in Gangnam, Seoul. While dining together, Park became enraged after hearing political views that contradicted her own. In a fit of anger, she threw a metal chopstick at Jin and then physically assaulted him by pulling his hair and slapping him.

In retaliation, Jin splashed beer from his glass at Park and threw the glass back at her. As a result of the confrontation, Park sustained injuries to her left temple, while Jin suffered a forehead bruise that required two weeks of treatment.

Judge Ha noted that Park has not acknowledged her wrongdoing, and Jin's actions were deemed serious given the nature of the incident. Neither defendant received forgiveness from the victims involved.