A reserve soldier who expressed emotional pain due to a breakup with his girlfriend and had unexcused absences was sentenced to prison in the appeals trial.
According to the legal community on the 27th, the Second Criminal Division of the Gwangju High Court (Director General Lee Ui-young) recently overturned the original sentence and sentenced Mr. A, 22, who was indicted for military desertion and extortion and had been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in the first trial, to 1 year in prison.
Mr. A was charged with failing to report for duty on May 31 of last year for the purpose of avoiding military service. After sending a text to his company commander saying, "I am prepared for discipline. I think it will be hard to come in today. It's too tough," he was absent without leave and was arrested at his residence about 1 hour and 19 minutes later.
According to the court, Mr. A had already been charged multiple times for crimes such as assault and threats. In November 2022, he extorted 11 million won through extortion, and last year, despite having his borrowed vehicle returned normally, he extorted several million won from minors, falsely claiming that they had caused a hit-and-run accident.
The appeals court stated, "The defendant has already received two disciplinary actions for violating the military desertion prohibition and has again deserted military duty. Considering that he extorted money from victims who were weaker than himself and that he provided criminal compensation for some victims, we determine the sentence comprehensively."