A man who persistently harassed a restaurant owner over complaints about ventilation fan noise has been punished as a stalker in South Korea.
According to legal sources on Tuesday, Judge Seo Ji-hye of the Gwangju District Court's Criminal Division 4 sentenced a 58-year-old man, identified only as A, to 10 months in prison for violating the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes. The court also ordered him to complete a 40-hour stalking treatment program.
A, a resident of Buk-gu, Gwangju, is accused of repeatedly causing anxiety to B, who ran a restaurant next door, by sending 126 text messages and approaching him 44 times over roughly two years starting in 2023.
Citing loud noise from the restaurant's ventilation fan, A repeatedly sent text messages containing profanity and photographed both the interior and exterior of the restaurant.
In October 2024, A was issued a summary order by the court for inflicting injury on B, but reportedly continued his stalking behavior afterward. Unable to endure the harassment, B eventually closed down the restaurant.
"There is no basis to conclude that the sound of the ventilation fan motor emitted while B was operating the restaurant constituted noise exceeding a tolerable level," the court said. "A carried out stalking acts against B repeatedly over a long period, and B, who suffered serious mental distress, is pleading for severe punishment."
"A is only insisting that his actions were justified, making it necessary to raise his awareness of the gravity and seriousness of the crime through stern punishment," the court added in explaining the sentencing.
Under the current Stalking Punishment Act, offenders face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won ($22,000), with heavier penalties if a weapon is involved.
