A man in his 40s who barged into a downstairs neighbor's home armed with a kitchen knife and a wooden sword after being angered by a complaint about noise between floors has been sentenced to prison.
The Seoul Northern District Court said on the 25th that Judge Jung Deok-soo, sitting as a single judge in Criminal Division 1, sentenced the 43-year-old defendant, identified as A, to six months in prison. He was charged with aggravated intimidation, aggravated trespassing and aggravated destruction of property.
A is accused of arming himself with a weapon and confronting his downstairs neighbors on March 7 at around 10 p.m., when, while intoxicated, he became angry after they asked him about noise coming from his apartment.
Carrying a wooden sword measuring 80 centimeters in total length and a kitchen knife, A went downstairs and rang the doorbell. When a neighbor opened the front door slightly, A grabbed it and threw it wide open, then pressed the knife against the back of the neighbor's hand and pushed a wooden sword into their solar plexus as he forced his way into the living room.
A hurled abuse at the couple, threatening them to the effect of, "I'm trying to live quietly, so why are you messing with me? I've seen all your faces. Do you want to die?" He then said, "People make thumping noises sometimes," and struck the living room ceiling once with the wooden sword, damaging it.
The court weighed in the defendant's favor that he admitted to the crime and showed remorse, that he was a first-time offender, and that he had made a deposit with the court in lieu of a settlement.
Still, the court found that "he became angry after receiving an inquiry about noise between floors from the victims living below, and committed the crime by entering the victims' downstairs residence carrying a wooden sword and a kitchen knife," concluding that "the nature of the offense is very serious." It also took into account, as an unfavorable factor, that he had not been forgiven by the victims, and imposed a prison term.
