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Top court overturns conviction for man accused of threatening Han Dong-hoon

Published: 01 May. 2026, 17:19

A man accused of committing aggravated intimidation against former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon by leaving a knife outside his apartment door arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, for his arrest warrant hearing on Oct. 16, 2023. [YONHAP]

The Supreme Court vacated a lower court ruling that convicted a man on charges of aggravated intimidation for leaving a knife outside the home of former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, according to legal sources on Friday.

The court quashed a one-year prison sentence imposed on the suspect, identified only by his surname Hong, and remanded the case to the Seoul High Court.

The Supreme Court said the man’s actions failed to meet the definition of aggravated intimidation as laid out in the Criminal Act.

The court ruled that because Hong left the knife and a lighter outside Han’s apartment door in Seoul’s Gangnam District and exited the building, he could not be seen as wielding control over the items when the intended target discovered them.

“Even if dangerous objects were used in the course of the act, it cannot be said that the defendant directly threatened the victim while carrying or possessing them,” the court said.

That interpretation marks a departure from rulings by lower courts, which had found Hong guilty of aggravated intimidation and sentenced him to one year in prison, while acquitting him of the charge of stalking Han.

Hong was indicted in custody in October 2023. He told investigators that he committed the act believing he was being monitored and controlled by Han.

The Seoul High Court is set to hold the first hearing of Hong’s remanded case on May 28.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK JONG-SUH [[email protected]]