The Seoul Southern District Court Tuesday sentenced a 39-year-old man surnamed Kim to one year and two months in prison, suspended for two years, for spraying a dozen women with red paint using a syringe.
In June, Kim splattered red paint over a female pedestrian while riding a motorcycle in Yangcheon district, southwestern Seoul, soiling her shirt and bag worth 290,000 won ($240). He was found to have committed a dozen similar offenses against women in May and June, causing property damage totaling 4.2 million won.
Kim also sexually harassed some of the victims by groping their buttocks after they changed clothes following the paint attack.
The man used to run a screen door installation business. But the company went bankrupt after a female accounting clerk of one of his clients made a payment behind schedule.
Following the incident, Kim committed crimes against decently-dressed young female office workers walking on the street, police said.
The court said it decided to hand out a suspended sentence as the defendant deeply regretted what he did and made a genuine effort to compensate his victims.