Altercation between octogenarians at a traditional market in North Jeolla Province

Not directly related to this article. [AI-generated image]
Not directly related to this article. [AI-generated image]

An 83-year-old woman who injured a fellow market vendor after being called a regional dialect term for "girl" has had her fine upheld on appeal.

The word, "gasinai," is a dialect expression used in the Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions meaning a young girl or, when directed at an adult, a belittling term.

The Jeonju District Court's First Criminal Division dismissed the appeal filed by the woman, identified only as A, and upheld the original sentence of a 5 million won ($3,750) fine on charges of bodily injury, according to legal sources Tuesday.

A was indicted after she knocked down B, an 84-year-old woman who ran a fried chicken stall at a traditional market in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, and stepped on her foot at around 3 p.m. on May 19 last year.

A, who operated an egg stall at the same market, shoved B hard on the shoulder after B — with whom she had long been on bad terms — called her "gasinai." She also lifted a chair to threaten B, stepped on her foot, and grabbed and shook her arms with both hands, investigators found.

B suffered a broken vertebra and other injuries requiring 12 weeks of medical treatment as a result of the assault.

The appeals court said the offense was not minor, citing the circumstances and nature of the crime, the means used, and the severity of the injuries.

The court dismissed the appeal, saying B "appears to have suffered considerable physical and mental pain," yet A had neither compensated her nor received her forgiveness. Even upon reviewing all sentencing factors, the court said, it could not find that the original sentence was so excessive as to fall outside the reasonable bounds of judicial discretion.


jshan@heraldcorp.com