"Why Badmouth?" 20s Tried to Kill Colleague Given Suspended Sentence

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] A man in his 20s who attempted to kill a company colleague by stabbing him with a weapon because he was said to be badmouthing him was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

According to the legal community on the 20th, the 2-2 Criminal Division of the Gwangju High Court (Chief Judge Lee Soo-young) upheld the original sentence of 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 3-year suspension in the appeal trial of A (20), who was indicted on charges of attempted murder.

A was brought to trial on charges of attempting to kill his workplace colleague B by stabbing him with a weapon on a walking trail in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, on April 22 last year.

It was investigated that A planned the crime out of dissatisfaction because B usually ignored him and badmouthed him.

A is also accused of threatening C, an acquaintance of B, who tried to stop him, by showing a stabbing gesture with the weapon and saying, "I will kill you too."

B survived by desperately resisting with the help of C.

A appealed on the grounds of factual error, claiming he had no intention to kill, but the appeal was rejected.

The court ruled, "Considering the circumstances of the crime and the victim's testimony, it can be recognized that there was an intention to kill."

The court stated, "Human life possesses absoluteness and dignity that no one can arbitrarily dispose of, and any act that infringes upon this cannot be justified for any reason."

However, the court explained the sentencing by saying, "Some victims have expressed that they do not wish to punish, and considering comprehensively the defendant's age, character, motive, and means of the crime."