Man jailed for assaulting taxi driver over politics

A South Korean court said Thursday it has handed down a six-month prison term to a man for assaulting a taxi driver who refused to answer politics questions, including which presidential candidate he voted for.

The defendant was found guilty of violating Article 5-10 of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, on the use of violence against or threatening a driver operating a motor vehicle used for transportation business. The investigation showed that the defendant had been jailed previously for obstruction of business, which the court said it factored into the verdict.

The 69-year-old defendant on April 22 got into the taxi driven by the victim, in his 70s, in Gangseo-gu, western Seoul. He asked the driver some questions about politics, to which the victim answered, "Let's not talk about the politics."

The defendant then became angry, swore at the victim, hit the driver in the face and scratched him with his fingernails.