Six Cambodians jailed in Korea for violent gang assault

Seoul Central District Court Courtesy of Seoul Central District Court — Seoul Central District Court. Courtesy of Seoul Central District Court

SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - A Korean court on Sunday sentenced six Cambodian nationals to prison terms ranging from 3.5 to 5 years for a violent attack outside a nightclub in Suwon, south of Seoul. The group assaulted a fellow Cambodian man with blunt weapons on June 9, 2023, leaving the victim with multiple fractures requiring five weeks of medical treatment.

Judge Kong Hyun-jin of the Suwon District Court cited the severity of the crime, noting that the main defendant distributed weapons to his accomplices and ordered the attack. The court heard that some defendants had also been involved in similar assaults against three other Cambodian nationals in Dec. 2022 and January 2023.

Four of the convicted individuals had been living illegally in South Korea for periods ranging from 5 to 18 years after their visas expired. The group had reportedly been terrorizing other Cambodian residents in the Suwon area by carrying weapons and instigating fights to demonstrate their power.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com