60s Man Who Killed Threat Victim Over "5 Million Won Settlement Demand" Sentenced to 25 Years in Second Trial

Seoul High Court, Seocho-dong, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] A man in his 60s who stabbed and killed a victim with a weapon after the victim of special intimidation demanded a settlement of 5 million won was sentenced to a heavy punishment again in the appellate court.

According to the legal community on the 9th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 5 (Presiding Judges Yoon Kang-yeol, Park Jae-young, Kim Sang-chul) sentenced Lee (64), a foreigner indicted for murder, special intimidation, and obstruction of business, to 25 years in prison, the same as the first trial.

Lee was indicted on charges of stabbing the chest of the store owner A (53, female) with a weapon during an argument at a pub in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, in April last year, causing death due to excessive bleeding.

At that time, Lee was undergoing a first trial without detention on charges of special intimidation and obstruction of business for throwing a beer bottle on the floor and breaking it at A’s store three months before the incident and threatening to kill A.

Lee visited A and asked to settle for 1 million won, but when A demanded 5 million won as a settlement, Lee lost his temper and committed the crime by wielding a weapon.

In court, Lee claimed, "During the argument, A first stabbed the back of my hand with a weapon, and in the process of restraining, A fell and was stabbed in the chest." However, the first and second trial courts judged that considering various circumstances at the time of the incident, Lee wielded the weapon with the intent to kill.

The court pointed out, "The defendant said the night before the crime, 'If we don't settle today, I will kill the victim,' and when the victim demanded more money than expected for the settlement and stabbed the back of the defendant’s hand with a weapon, the defendant became enraged and killed the victim."

It added, "The defendant has not been forgiven by the victim’s family, and actively denies major parts of the crime, so it cannot be said that he is sincerely reflecting on his wrongdoing," explaining the reason for the sentencing.