Factory owner sentenced to 3 years for air gun assault on migrant worker

A manufacturing company owner was sentenced to three years in prison at Suwon District Court on Thursday for severely injuring a migrant worker with an industrial air gun at a factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on Feb. 20. The Thai worker suffered a traumatic rectal perforation exceeding 10 centimeters and required surgery. The court rejected the owner’s claim that the incident was only a prank and dismissed the intimidation case against his wife.

Judge Koo Na-young convicted the owner, identified as A, of aggravated bodily injury and violations of the Labor Standards Act.

The court found that A held the worker by the waist, inserted the air-gun nozzle into his anus and sprayed high-pressure air for seven or eight seconds despite the worker saying he was in pain.

A allegedly threatened the worker by referring to his undocumented immigration status and urging him to return to Thailand rather than obtain further treatment.

The court said A showed no remorse, resisted providing treatment and deducted medical expenses related to the injuries from the worker’s wages.

The court dismissed the intimidation charge against A’s wife, identified as B, because the offense could not be prosecuted against the victim’s wishes and the worker did not want her punished.

Published Oct 15, 2026 2:54 pm KST

Suwon District Court / Korea Times file

A manufacturing company owner accused of severely injuring a migrant worker by firing high-pressure air from an industrial air gun into his body has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Judge Koo Na-young of the Suwon District Court on Thursday sentenced the owner of a metal-cleaning company, a man in his 60s identified only as A, to three years in prison on charges of aggravated bodily injury and violations of the Labor Standards Act. The court dismissed the case against A's wife, identified as B, who had been charged with intimidation.

A was indicted on charges of placing the nozzle of an industrial air gun against the anal area of C, a Thai man in his 40s, and blasting high-pressure air for about seven seconds at his factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on Feb. 20.

C suffered injuries including a traumatic rectal perforation measuring more than 10 centimeters and underwent surgery.

A was also accused of threatening C, who needed emergency surgery, by saying, "Illegal immigrant, police," suggesting that he would report C to police for his undocumented immigration status unless he returned to his home country.

A's lawyers acknowledged that he had fired the air gun about three times as a prank but denied part of the charges, saying, "It is true that he sprayed air about three times as a joke, but he did not insert the nozzle into the victim's anus and inject air for seven seconds." The court rejected the argument.

"Considering the victim's consistent testimony and medical records, it is established that the defendant held the victim by the waist with one hand, inserted the nozzle into his anus and sprayed air for seven or eight seconds," the court said. "The victim resisted, saying, 'It hurts,' but the defendant did not stop."

The court also said A showed no remorse after the incident and was reluctant to provide treatment for C's injuries.

"Although the defendant was told by the hospital where the victim received treatment that he needed immediate surgery at a higher-level hospital, he urged the victim to leave the country that night in an attempt to conceal the incident," Koo said. "The seriousness of the offense is compounded by the fact that A deducted medical expenses resulting from his own actions from C's wages."

As for B, the court dismissed the case because the intimidation charge cannot be prosecuted against the victim's wishes and C had said he did not want her to be punished.

At the final hearing last month, prosecutors sought a seven-year prison sentence for A and a one-year prison sentence for B.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

周四，水原地方法院判处一名制造公司老板三年有期徒刑，罪名是2月20日在京畿道华城市一家工厂用工业气枪严重伤害一名外籍劳工。这名泰国工人遭受了超过10厘米的直肠穿孔，需要手术治疗。法院驳回了老板关于该事件只是恶作剧的说法，并驳回了针对其妻子的恐吓指控。

法官具娜英 (Koo Na-young) 认定业主 A 犯有严重人身伤害罪和违反劳动基准法罪。

法院认定，A 抓住工人的腰部，将气枪喷嘴插入其肛门，并喷射高压空气长达七八秒钟，尽管该工人表示自己感到疼痛。

据称，A 威胁该工人，指出他没有合法的移民身份，并敦促他返回泰国而不是接受进一步治疗。

法院表示，被告A毫无悔意，拒绝提供治疗，并从工人的工资中扣除与伤情相关的医疗费用。

法院驳回了对 A 的妻子（代号 B）的恐吓指控，因为违背受害者的意愿，该罪行无法被起诉，而且该工人也不希望她受到惩罚。

发布于2026年10月15日下午2:54（韩国标准时间）

水原地方法院/《韩国时报》档案

一名制造公司老板被控用工业气枪向一名外来务工人员发射高压空气，致其重伤，被判处三年监禁。

水原地方法院法官具娜英（音译）周四判处一家金属清洗公司老板A（60多岁）三年有期徒刑，罪名是严重伤害他人身体和违反劳动基准法。法院驳回了对A的妻子B（音译）的恐吓指控。

2月20日，A在京畿道华城市的工厂内，将工业气枪的喷嘴抵住40多岁的泰国男子C的肛门部位，并喷射高压空气约7秒钟，A因此被起诉。

C 遭受了包括超过 10 厘米的创伤性直肠穿孔在内的多处损伤，并接受了手术治疗。

A 还被指控威胁需要紧急手术的 C，说“非法移民，警察”，暗示除非 C 返回其祖国，否则他将向警方举报 C 的非法移民身份。

A的律师承认他曾出于恶作剧开了大约三次气枪，但否认了部分指控，称：“他的确出于玩笑喷了大约三次气枪，但他并没有将喷嘴插入受害者的肛门并注入空气长达七秒钟。” 法庭驳回了这一辩解。

法庭表示：“考虑到受害人前后一致的证词和医疗记录，可以确定被告一手搂住受害人的腰部，一手将喷嘴插入其肛门，喷射空气七八秒钟。受害人反抗并说‘疼’，但被告并未停止。”

法庭还表示，A在事件发生后没有表现出任何悔意，并且不愿为C的伤势提供治疗。

Koo表示：“尽管被告人被受害人就诊的医院告知，受害人需要立即转至更高级别的医院接受手术，但他仍敦促受害人当晚离开该国，企图掩盖此事。更令人愤慨的是，A还从C的工资中扣除了因其自身行为而产生的医疗费用。”

至于 B，法院驳回了此案，因为不能违背受害者的意愿提起恐吓指控，而 C 曾表示不希望她受到惩罚。

在上个月的最终听证会上，检察官要求判处 A 七年监禁，判处 B 一年监禁。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。