Court rules fear sufficient cause for intimidation charge

SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- Instilling fear in another person during a domestic
dispute is sufficient enough cause to bring charges of intimidation, whether or
not there was any intent of perpetrating an assault, a court said Sunday.
The Seoul Northern District Court said that it recently fined a 41-year-old man
500,000 won (US$430) in an appeals ruling, reversing a lower court decision that
ruled in favor of the defendant due to lack of evidence.
The man, identified by his surname Kim, had been charged in May 2007 with
threatening to kill his wife, who suspected him of having an affair.
During the lower court proceedings, Kim claimed that he had not in fact
threatened to kill his wife but was simply venting his frustrations by saying
that he would commit suicide if he had in fact been guilty of adultery.
In the appeals ruling, the court said that an intimidation charge can be
established whether or not the suspect actually had any intent of assaulting the
victim, stating that the act of provoking fear alone is sufficient cause for
intimidation.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)