A South Korean activist indicted for throwing
stones at Japan's top diplomat in Seoul in July was given a suspended two-year prison term in a court hearing Monday.
Kim Ki-jong, 50, a representative of a Seoul-based activist group opposing Japan's
claims to the easternmost South Korean islets of Dokdo, was arrested on July 7 after he attacked Toshinori Shigeie, the Japanese ambassador to South Korea at the time, while the diplomat was giving a speech on bilateral relations at a forum in downtown Seoul.
The envoy dodged the stones thrown by Kim, but one of his aides suffered a minor hand injury.
The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim to two years in prison but suspended its execution for three years, citing the defendant's clean criminal record and repentance as well as the Japanese victims' wish not to have the attacker punished.
"If (people) commit violence against foreign envoys on the grounds of claiming different opinions over territorial sovereignty, it will disturb foreign relations and cause conflicts as a result," the court said in a ruling. "Kim decided to use violent measures to achieve his goal of expressing his opinion, but such behaviour cannot be accepted in our society."
With Monday's ruling, Kim was released.
The prosecution had demanded a four-year jail term.
During the trials, Kim pleaded guilty but said he had no intention to hurt the envoy, as he accidentally hurled the objects after his attempts to deliver documents regarding Japan's territorial claims were blocked by security guards.
Established in 2006, the civic group is composed of fewer than 10 members who transferred their family registration to Dokdo.
Tokyo's claims over the rocky outcroppings in the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan have long been a hindrance to moving relations forward.South Koreans view such claims as a sign that Japan is not remorseful about its
1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.