By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
A son of the founder of a renowned shoe company was convicted of assaulting and torturing his business partner.
The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the man, identified as Lee, 48, to two years and six months in prison. Lee is a son of Lee In-pyo, the founder of Esquire _ the second largest shoe producer by market share following Kumkang. Esquire accounts for a 40 percent share of the local market.
According to court statement, Lee, who felt deceived by his business partner identified as Park, lured Park to a house in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, in November 2007. Confined in the house, Park was beaten for two days by Lee and his four subordinates with his mouth being gagged. He also underwent water torture several times. Lee was also charged of extorting a promissory note worth 2 billion won from the victim.
``This is a heinous crime,'' judge Choi Byeong-seon said in the ruling. ``It is acceptable that the victim caused financial damage to Lee. Given motivation behind the crime, however, mental and physical pain Park has endured are much more than those Lee had.''
Lee's four subordinates were also sentenced to up to one and a half years in prison for their role in the crime.