Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Man jailed for injuring friend's head while 'testing' MMA skills 'for fun'
gettyimagesbank
By Jung Min-ho
A man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for inflicting severe injuries to his friend's head while "testing" mixed martial arts (MMA) skills "for fun."
The Ulsan District Court convicted the attacker in his 20s on Monday for causing the victim to acquire a disability due to his MMA-style takedown on a street in Ulsan in January 2023.
As a result of the attack, the victim suffered injuries to the occipital area — a region of the brain — and was eventually diagnosed with anosmia, the partial or full loss of smell.
The assailant argued that he did so just for fun, saying that he did not have any intention of hurting him and that such a grave consequence was unforeseeable.
However, the panel of judges, led by judge Kim Jong-hyuk, rejected his claims, saying that he was clearly aware of the risk associated with his action given his experience in MMA training.
"Anyone can foresee that taking someone down on the hard ground could result in physical damage," the court said. "The defendant, who has experience of learning MMA, must have been well aware of that risk."