The son of Hanwha Group's patriarch walks out of a detention center after receiving a suspended jail sentence.[Yonhap News Photo]
The 27-year-old son of Hanwha Group chairman Kim Seung-youn walked free Wednesday after receiving a suspended jail sentence for beating bar employees during his drunken rampage.
A Seoul court sentenced Kim Dong-sun to eight months in prison but suspended it for two years. He was ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service.
While drinking overnight at a bar on January 5, the third son of Hanwha's patriarch allegedly wielded a whiskey bottle and beat bar employees. He was also accused of damaging the window of a patrol car and its seat covers.
At an earlier hearing, Kim said he regrets and sincerely repents for his misconduct. Lawyers called for mercy saying his act was not premeditated while those beaten by him were fully compensated.
The court urged Kim to be discreet in his behavior as a member of Hanwha's ruling family who is required to assume "heavier social responsibility than ordinary people."
The man's unruly acts fanned public anger and an internet outcry calling for harsh punishment. He teamed up with Chung Yoo-ra, the 21-year-old daughter of President Park Geun-hye's jailed crony, Choi Soon-sil, to win a gold medal in the team dressage competition at the Incheon Asian Games in 2014.
In 2007, the tycoon himself was convicted of abducting and clobbering Karaoke bar workers, watched by bodyguards to exact revenge for his second son who was beaten up at the bar.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
