Ex-employee handed suspended sentence for threatening restaurant owner with knife over final pay

A person received a suspended prison sentence from the Ulsan District Court on Thursday for threatening a restaurant owner with a knife after claiming they had been underpaid.

The court's criminal division sentenced the offender to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, on a charge of special intimidation.

The offender was indicted after pointing the knife at the restaurant owner and acting as if they were about to stab the victim at a restaurant in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, in October of last year. The offender also chased the owner outside the establishment and threatened to “kill” them.

The defendant had received a final wage settlement after quitting their work at the restaurant following a disagreement with the owner. However, the offender later became frustrated after believing they had been paid less than expected.

The investigators found that the restaurant employee used a knife that was stored in their vehicle.

“The defendant made no effort to compensate the victim and has not been forgiven by the victim,” the court said. “However, the court considered that the offense was committed impulsively in its verdict.”

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]