The news of that day has passed, but its meaning remains with us today. "That Day, Today" reads the present through the records of the past.
Three years ago today, on Oct. 7, 2023, a man in his 20s who beat a fellow inmate in his 50s to death for failing to properly clean the floor of their detention center cell received a prison sentence in his appeal as well. Criminal Division 1 of the Suwon High Court, presided over by high court judges Park Sun-jun, Jung Hyun-sik and Bae Yun-kyung, sentenced the man, identified as A, to eight years in prison — the same term handed down by the lower court — on charges including inflicting bodily injury resulting in death.
A, who was being held at the Suwon Detention Center, punched a fellow cellmate in his 50s, identified as B, about five times in a vital area of the neck at 6:55 a.m. on May 15, 2022. A attacked B, who was old enough to be his father, because B had not cleaned the floor properly and the cell was not clean enough.
B, struck repeatedly in the area of his Adam's apple, went into cardiac arrest. He was taken to a hospital for treatment but died about a month later. A, a former organized crime member, was also charged with habitually assaulting other inmates.
A was also found to have told other inmates not to testify about his actions in an attempt to cover up the crime. When one inmate advised B to report the assaults to a correctional officer, A beat that inmate as well.
Boasting of Gang Ties While Beating Cellmates
The lower court said A "repeatedly committed crimes against victims weaker than himself while boasting that he was an organized crime member." It added that "he repeatedly assaulted B, who was much older than him, exploiting the fact that B was slow-moving and introverted and could only endure the abuse without resisting, and ultimately caused the victim's death, making his conduct highly blameworthy."
The appeals court overturned the lower court ruling and reexamined the sentencing factors, taking into account that A had received a final sentence of one year and six months in a separate case after the first ruling in this case. It nonetheless imposed the same term as the lower court.
The court also sentenced C, a man in his 20s who had received a three-year prison term from the lower court on charges including assaulting fellow inmates alongside A, to two years in prison. The court cited his amicable settlement with some of the victims and his deposit of 5 million won with the court for B, the inmate who died.
Assaults inside correctional facilities have been rising each year. According to data from the Ministry of Justice's Correction Bureau on grounds for disciplinary action, cases in which inmates at correctional facilities nationwide were disciplined for assaulting other inmates totaled 4,762 in 2021, 5,130 in 2022, 6,166 in 2023 and 6,320 in 2024.
