A man in his 40s who ran over and killed a union member with a car at a Cargo Truckers Solidarity rally site in front of the CU logistics center in Jinju, South Gyeongsang, received a suspended prison sentence.
On the 18th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Jinju Branch of the Changwon District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Seung-il) sentenced a man in his 40s, identified as A, who was indicted on charges including injury causing death, to 2 years and 6 months in prison, suspended for 4 years.
A was arrested and indicted on Apr. 20 on charges of injury causing death for plowing into union members who had swarmed onto the road to block the departure of cargo trucks at the Cargo Truckers Solidarity rally site in front of the CU Jinju Logistics Center in Jeongchon-myeon, Jinju, South Gyeongsang.
One union member in his 50s died in the accident, and two other union members were injured. Police initially referred A to prosecutors on charges of murder and aggravated injury, but prosecutors changed the charges after supplementary investigation.
Prosecutors changed the charges, noting that A's view was limited by union members clinging to the truck and that he stopped immediately after the accident, making it difficult to conclude there was conditional intent to kill.
The court said, "A drove in accordance with police instructions, and it was an unpredictable situation as union members rushed in," adding, "Although A made wrong judgments and actions, it is difficult to recognize an intent to inflict harm."