Elderly man jailed for attack on police in front of presidential office

(Herald DB)

Seoul Western District Court on Friday sentenced a 78-year-old South Korean man to four years in prison for attacking police in front of the presidential office last year and injuring two on-duty officers.

The court also ordered the defendant surnamed Park to three years probation, but turned down the prosecution's request for him to wear an electronic ankle tag.

Park attacked two officers in front of the presidential office in Yongsan-gu at around 1:20 p.m. on Oct.31, injuring one officer in the abdomen and the other in the arm. The prosecution requested a seven-year jail term on charges of attempted murder and inflicting injury through special obstruction of public duty with a dangerous weapon or collective force.

Park has also been accused of assaulting a police officer with a wooden stick in front of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in Yongsan.

"The defendant swung a knife at the abdomen and neck of the (victimized) police officers, which could have led to their deaths," the court said in its verdict, adding that it considered Park's lack of criminal record and history of mental illness as factors for a reduced punishment.

Park's lawyer said the crime took place on impulse, as Park had visited the presidential office in protest after a local bank refused to give him his pension.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)