Man who demanded personal details from new neighbor, smashed front door gets suspended sentence

A man in his 40s who repeatedly knocked on a new neighbor's door demanding personal information and ultimately smashed the front door has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Chuncheon District Court Judge Jeong Jong-geon of Criminal Division 1 sentenced the defendant, identified only as A, 47, to six months in prison, suspended for three years, on charges of violating the Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes and aggravated property destruction. The court also ordered him to undergo probation and complete 40 hours of a stalking recidivism prevention course.

A was indicted on stalking charges after approaching the victim, identified as B, or B's home on five separate occasions between August and November last year, knocking on the front door under the pretext of learning the victim's identity.

He also faced charges of striking the front door of B's apartment multiple times with a blunt object, causing damage that required about 880,000 won ($569) in repairs.

Investigators found that A had asked the victim — a career military officer who had recently moved in — questions such as "Where were you stationed before?" and "Why did you move here when this isn't military housing?" When A received no answers, he carried out the attacks.

"The defendant stalked the victim without any particular reason and damaged the front door with a dangerous object, so his culpability is not light," the court said in explaining the sentence. It added that it took into account his admission of the offenses and his repayment of the repair costs.