On the 8th, the Busan District Court’s Criminal Division 17, presided over by Judge Mok Myung-gyun, sentenced A to 6 months in prison, suspended for 2 years. Charges included theft of lost property, violations of vehicle management laws, fraudulent use and display of license plates, and breach of the motor vehicle liability insurance law.
Prosecutors say A discovered the plate in mid-June last year on a road in Dongnae-gu, Busan, and did not return it.
They say he mounted the plate on his motorcycle on July 17 and rode the bike about 2 km (1.24 miles) on July 24.
Investigators also found the motorcycle did not have the required insurance coverage while he was operating it.
The court noted that taking a lost plate, attaching it to a motorcycle and driving without mandatory insurance reflected poorly on the seriousness of the offense. It said the sentence took into account that the defendant admitted the conduct, expressed remorse, and was 18 at the time, classified as a juvenile.
