A Man in His 30s Wielded a Weapon After Bare-Handed Fight with an Acquaintance... Frustrated Within Minutes

Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Attempted Murder

A man in his 30s who, after engaging in a 'bare-handed fight' with an acquaintance he knew, failed to calm his anger and attempted to kill the acquaintance with a weapon was sentenced to prison.

On the 2nd, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Kim Ok-gon) sentenced A (35), who was on trial for attempted murder and violation of the Narcotics Control Act, to five years in prison and ordered him to complete 40 hours of drug addiction rehabilitation education, according to Yonhap News Agency on the same day.

In February of this year, A got into an argument with B, an acquaintance he knew, about business and got into a physical fight on the stairs of a building.

When A tried to hit B with a broken railing bar, B suggested, "Let's fight with bare hands." The fight continued at a nearby construction site, and it seemed to end when B declared defeat.

However, A held a grudge because B still did not help with his business.

The evening after the fight, A sent a text message to B saying, "Something serious has happened, please contact me immediately." When B called, A said, "I will explain in person," and lured B to his home.

Afterwards, they planned to go to a restaurant by car, with B sitting in the driver's seat. Suddenly, A, sitting in the passenger seat, said, "Brother, I’m sorry," and swung a weapon he had prepared in advance toward B’s neck. B turned his face to avoid it but suffered a 15cm laceration on his cheek and ear area.

Immediately after the incident, A fled but was urgently arrested by the police the next day. During the investigation, it was revealed that A possessed marijuana at home and had smoked it in the past. At trial, he claimed, "I was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident, in a state of diminished capacity, and in a hallucinating state, so I did not intend to kill B."

However, the court rejected this, citing that △ CCTV footage taken just before the crime showed A did not appear intoxicated △ A lured B to the crime scene via text and phone calls △ drug components were not detected in the urine test.

The court explained, "A planned the crime in advance and committed it, and if B had not avoided the attack at that moment, there was a high risk of a fatal outcome," but also considered that "B expressed hope that the punishment would not be too severe" in sentencing.