JEONJU -- An appeals court upheld prison sentences for five illegal immigrants from Vietnam for attacking each other with weapons in a fight over unpaid wages at an apartment complex in the southwestern city of Jeonju earlier this year, court records showed Friday.

The incident happened on April 12 when a 33-year-old Vietnamese punched and stabbed a 39-year-old coworker in an apartment complex parking lot in Jeonju, about 245 kilometers southwest of Seoul. One of the three other Vietnamese handed the weapon to the attacker, and they joined in the assault.

The victim also attempted to strike back with a weapon but failed to hurt the attacker.

They were found to have been in a dispute over overdue wages.

The Jeonju District Court's appeals division maintained the three-year prison sentence for the 33-year-old charged with inflicting bodily harm and violating the Immigration Control Act, and a one-year prison term for the 39-year-old.

The other three defendants were sentenced to between eight months and 1 1/2 years in prison, respectively, the same as the lower court ruling.

"The defendants could have caused big casualties by using weapons against each other at an apartment complex where many people live," the court said, noting the lower court's sentences do not seem too heavy.

All five defendants were overstaying their short-term visas. (Yonhap)