Judge sentences man who fired bullets at United Nations
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Sreve Kim is led away last year following his arrest.
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A federal judge imposed a 27-month sentence on the Korean-American who repeatedly fired a pistol at U.N. headquarters last year. CNN's Richard Roth reports (October 21)
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- A federal judge imposed a 27-month sentence Monday on the Korean-American who repeatedly fired a pistol at U.N. headquarters last year to protest the plight of North Koreans.
U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson pronounced the sentence for Steve Kim at a hearing in Manhattan federal court.
Kim, 58, who has already spent a year in jail, entered into a plea bargain in April that called for him to receive from a 30- to 37-month sentence. Kim is expected to be released from prison in 15 months.
Patterson previously indicated he would show no leniency, despite Kim's contention that his actions were motivated by his political views.
Kim, a naturalized American who became a postal worker in Illinois, climbed the U.N.'s 5-foot security fence and fired seven shots from a .357-caliber pistol at the U.N. Secretariat building on October 3, 2002.
Four bullets struck the building's facade between the 18th and 20th floors.
Kim has said he aimed high to avoid injuries, and no people were wounded. Kim said he acted to draw attention human rights abuses that occurred in North Korea under its ruler, Kim Jong-Il.
After firing his shots, Kim flung leaflets into the air "to all people who love freedom and justice," calling on the U.N. to "destroy this false and evil regime." He was immediately arrested on the scene.
Kim could have received a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted at trial.
CNN Producer Ronni Berke contributed to this report.
