Assault of high school students in 2021, death of head of family in his 30s in Uijeongbu, South Korea

 On August 4, 2021, a 38-year-old man was assaulted and killed by six high school students on Rodeo Street near Eoryong Station in downtown Minrak-dong, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do.

At around 11 p.m. on August 4, 2021, A (38), who was returning to Minrak District 2 after a dinner in Minrak-dong, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do, was assaulted in a group due to a quarrel with six high school students. Later, a student picked up something from the floor and hit A's back neck strongly, which caused A to fall to the floor. Afterwards, one of the scared party reported it to the police, and two nearby proxy drivers approached the victim, gave first aid, and took him to a hospital for treatment, but died the next day. The driver's death appears to have been caused by blood pressure on the brain by subcerebral hemorrhage.

Also, around 10:45, an anonymous witness reported to the police that four to five people were fighting near the plaza in Uijeongbu's Minrak District 2, and it was reported to 112.

There were a total of six perpetrators, each attending a different high school. CCTV analysis revealed that there were two perpetrators who assaulted them directly, but later articles revealed that there were three.

The incident took place in front of the Rodeo Street store at Eoryong Station, and there were witnesses. Witnesses and several chauffeurs at the scene transported a male victim in his 30s to the hospital.

To date, the cause and process have not been detailed. This is because investigative agencies and courts have not revealed how the victim died and the cause of death. However, it is clear that the main cause is the assault of the perpetrators.

The perpetrators pleaded guilty to assault charges, but claimed they did not intend to let them die. One assailant made a gesture as if he was picking up something and ran at full speed and hit A strongly in the back of the neck.

Due to this shock, Mr. A stumbled and collapsed. According to the witness, at this time, Mr. A told the students, "Don't do it, stop it."

On August 9, 2021, police said they were continuing to investigate whether closed-circuit images around the scene of the incident matched the suspects' statements, and further investigations were underway to see if there was a link between the on-site assault and B's death.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the victim's acquaintance said in a petition post at the Blue House that he had bruises all over his neck, forehead and face during the autopsy.

On August 10, the perpetrator or an acquaintance of the perpetrator said on social media that the incident occurred when the victim attacked first. There was also a statement that he had searched for an old lady or a drunk person in advance. In the trial, the judge also mentioned, "If you look at CCTV, this case was triggered by the victim hitting A hard first."

When the witness and the chauffeur transported the man to the hospital, he was in cardiac arrest at 11:11 p.m. and was transferred to the emergency room of a nearby hospital, and was pronounced dead about an hour and 36 minutes later.

After the incident was known through the media, those believed to be acquaintances of the perpetrators spread fake information on social media. They made claims such as "students gathered to stop them" and "the man fell alone and died."

After the incident, the police arrested two people on the spot and booked one more. A 10-day arrest warrant was applied for two people who showed significant participation, and on August 13, 2021, the warrant was subject to a substantive examination. However, the suspects remained silent when asked by reporters before attending court.

The arrest warrant was rejected. Jang Chang-guk, a senior judge in charge of warrants at the Uijeongbu District Court, said, "We reject the arrest warrant to guarantee the suspects' right to defense because there are many differences from what was reported or known in the media, and it is unclear how much the suspects contributed to the victim's death."

On September 7, Uijeongbu Police Station said the autopsy by the National Forensic Service concluded that it was "death from head damage." In particular, it was analyzed that the impact on the back neck was the decisive cause of death. There was also an opinion that the act of punching the left side of the face of the deceased victim is likely to cause head damage. In addition, cerebral hemorrhage caused by a burst of blood vessels was also pointed out as a cause of death.

On September 9, Uijeongbu Police Station said it sent four suspects to the prosecution on charges of assault and death.

In June 2022, the first trial was held. Outside the courtroom, dozens of tattooed people, who appear to be friends and acquaintances of the accused perpetrators, reportedly engaged in shameless acts of encouraging the perpetrators.

In October 2022, prosecutors sentenced the main culprits to nine years in prison, nine long years in prison and five short years. The accomplices were sentenced to a long year and a half and a short year.

On December 20, 2022, the 11th Criminal Agreement Division of the Uijeongbu District Court sentenced A, the main culprit accused of assault and death, to four and a half years in prison. B, who was indicted together on the same charge, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and two years in short term. In addition, C and D, who were at the scene at the time, were sentenced to one year in prison, two years of probation, and a fine of 5 million won, respectively, on charges of joint injury. C and D gave up their appeals and accepted the first trial sentence.

On April 15, 2023, the Seoul High School Criminal Division 3 sentenced A, the main culprit accused of assault and murder, to three and a half years in prison. B was sentenced to one and a half years in prison and one and a half years in prison. The admission of the crime and the deposit of 50 million won was taken into account. It has since been confirmed without appeal.