David Kang (born 1970) is an Australian

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

. In 1994, he fired two blank shots from a

starting pistol A starting pistol or starter pistol is a blank handgun or, more recently, an electronic toy gun or device with a button connected to a sound system that is fired to start track and field races as well as some competitive swimming races. Tradit ...

at Charles, Prince of Wales (now

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

) in protest of the treatment of several hundred Cambodian

asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A pers ...

held in detention camps in Australia.

Early life and education

David Kang was born in Australia to Robert Kang, a former

Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the Air force, aerial and Space force, space warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of National Defense (South K ...

helicopter pilot. At the time of the starting pistol incident, in 1994, Kang was an anthropology student at

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a Public university, public research university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the Sydney metropolitan area. ...

. Kang later graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in anthropology from the university.

Protest against Prince Charles

On 26 January 1994, the 23-year old Kang fired two blank shots from a

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

during an

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...

speech at Tumbalong Park,

Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour and neighborhood adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central busines ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

.Alternate Link
/ref> Kang jumped a small fence at the front of the stage and ran onto the stage, firing the first shot with his pistol as he rushed towards the Prince, who had just risen to approach the lectern on the stage. He was wrestled to the ground by police after crashing into the lectern as he fired the second shot. At least 15 people jumped onto the assailant, while the Prince's bodyguard shielded the Prince, who was removed from the stage. The Prince sustained no injuries and would next visit Sydney on 28 February 2005. One police officer received a cut hand while tackling Kang. Local police expressed admiration for the speed with which the Prince's Senior Personal Protection Officer, Superintendent Colin Trimming, rose to protect the Prince. The personal bravery of the Prince was also remarked upon by Ian Kiernan, saying that the prince was "cool as a cucumber". Others on the stage included Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair, AO (the

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

), John Fahey (the

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

of New South Wales), Frank Sartor (the

Lord Mayor of Sydney The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Sydney is the head of the Council of the City of Sydney, which is the local government area covering the central business district of Sydney in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The Lord Mayor has b ...

), and Tony Lauer (the New South Wales

Commissioner of Police A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

). Kang had been the second person to attack a royal in Sydney after Irishman Henry James O'Farrell in 1868. O'Farrell shot at Prince Alfred and was later hanged. At the time, Kang was mistakenly reported as being of Cambodian descent and the incident sparked some debate about monarchism and republicanism in Australia.

Arrest, trial, and sentence

Kang was arrested and taken to Sydney Police Centre on

Goulburn Street Goulburn Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Goulburn Street is in the southern portion of the Sydney central business district and runs from Darling Harbour and Chinatown in the west, t ...

. On the following day, he appeared in court and, facing six charges, including two under the Federal Crimes (Internationally Protected Persons) Act 1976 (Cth) (i.e., attacking an internationally protected person) and charges of illegally using a firearm, possessing a firearm,

affray In many legal jurisdictions related to English common law, affray is a public order offence consisting of the fighting of one or more persons in a public place to the terror (in ) of ordinary people. Depending on their actions, and the laws ...

, and

assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...

, was remanded in custody until 4 February 1994. If convicted on all counts, Kang could have received a 20-year sentence. In court, Kang testified that he was suffering from depression and was protesting the plight of Cambodian refugees in Australia. Kang had previously written letters to the Prince of Wales, the President of the United States, the United Nations, and the Pope, among others, and had received a

form letter A form letter is a letter written from a template, rather than being specially composed for a specific recipient. The most general kind of form letter consists of one or more regions of boilerplate text interspersed with one or more substitution ...

reply from the Prince. Kang was found guilty of threatening unlawful violence and sentenced to 500 hours of community service. In 2005, Kang said of the incident, "What happened 11 years ago was an extremely traumatic experience and I have certainly moved on in my life and now I have become a barrister here in Sydney." He also emphasised he did not intend to hurt anyone during his protest.

Career

Following the incident, Kang earned a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

from the

University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a Institute of technology, ...

and a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

with honours from the

Sydney Law School Sydney Law School (informally Sydney Law or SLS) is the law school at the University of Sydney, Australia, Australia's oldest university. Sydney Law School began a full program of legal instruction in 1890 following the appointment of its first d ...

.Find a Barrister at New South Wales Bar Association: David Kang
/ref>

Legal career

Despite having been found guilty of a crime, the New South Wales Bar Association found that Kang was a "fit and proper person", with the president of the New South Wales Bar Association remarking that he had "served his time", admitting him as a barrister in 2004. Kang practices as a barrister, specialising in criminal law, commercial and corporations law, equity, and medical negligence,Ada Evans Chambers: David KangArchived
/ref> at Ada Evans Chambers in Sydney.

Personal life

Kang is married and has two children. His interests, as listed on his chambers website, include tennis, soccer, and swimming.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kang, David 1971 births Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Australian male criminals Australian barristers Australian people of Korean descent Charles III Living people Macquarie University alumni Sydney Law School alumni University of Technology Sydney alumni