Strict outcome · Comparison Pair · Embezzlement
Bus driver fired for pocketing ₩2,400 — Supreme Court upheld
Harm
₩2,400 (~$1.80)
Sentence
Employment dismissal upheld
Court
Supreme Court of Korea
Guideline
—
Comparison thesis
Embezzlement of ₩2,400 ends a career. Embezzlement of ₩8.6 billion is suspended, then pardoned.
Strict outcome · current case
Employment dismissal upheld
Dismissal upheld as a proportionate sanction
Bus driver fired for pocketing ₩2,400 — Supreme Court upheld
Low-income · Harm: ₩2,400 (~$1.80)
Lenient outcome
2y 6m
2y 6m prison, 4y suspension (2018 appeal); later pardoned
Samsung heir given suspended sentence for ~₩8.6B bribery
Chaebol family · Harm: ~₩8.6 billion (~$7.6M)
3.6 million × ratio in monetary harm — but the bus driver lost his job permanently while the Samsung heir continues to lead one of the world's largest conglomerates.
Case summary
A municipal bus driver was dismissed for failing to deposit ₩2,400 (about $1.80) of fare collections. The bus company argued that any embezzlement, however small, irreparably damaged the trust relationship. The Supreme Court ultimately affirmed that the dismissal was a proportionate sanction.
Disparity flags
Sources
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