'Bundang Weapon Rampage' Choi Won-jong: "Inmates and Guards Harass Me, It's Hard"

"I don't think life imprisonment is excessive"

Choi Won-jong (23), who was prosecuted for driving a vehicle onto a sidewalk and then entering a department store to carry out a stabbing rampage that resulted in 14 casualties last year, claimed that "it is difficult because inmates and prison officers are bullying me."

According to Yonhap News on the 29th, during the second appeal trial for murder and other charges held by the Criminal Division 2-1 of the Suwon High Court (Presiding Judges Kim Min-ki, Kim Jong-woo, Park Kwang-seo), when the court asked if he had submitted a statement indicating that "life in the detention center is difficult," Choi Won-jong responded as such.

He also said, "I was nervous during the previous trial and could not properly state the reasons for the appeal," adding, "I do not think life imprisonment is excessive. I do not consider myself mentally ill." He further stated, "I appealed because I want to provide additional opinions regarding the part where prison officers harass me by preventing me from sleeping."

Suspect Choi Won-jong in the 'Bundang Bladed Weapon Rampage Incident' is being transferred from the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station detention center in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do to the prosecution in August last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, his defense attorney requested a sentence reduction at the first trial, citing "the crime was committed due to severe schizophrenia." The court planned to receive additional opinions from the psychiatrist who evaluated Choi Won-jong on this day, but due to a delayed response, decided to hold another trial session. The next hearing is scheduled for July 10.

About ten bereaved family members attended the courtroom, similar to the previous trial. Some victim families reportedly submitted opinions stating that the sentencing materials recently submitted by Choi Won-jong’s side to the court regarding payment of traffic accident medical expenses "cannot be seen as genuine victim restoration."

After the trial, the bereaved families told reporters, "The insurance company informed us that they would provide money as consolation, but we are not accepting it for fear it might influence Choi Won-jong’s sentencing," adding, "We are also unable to receive crime victim relief funds for the same reason. These procedures seem to keep victims as victims."

Suspect Choi Won-jong in the 'Bundang Bladed Weapon Rampage Incident' is being transferred from the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station detention center in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do to the prosecution in August last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On August 3 last year, Choi Won-jong was prosecuted on charges of murder, attempted murder, and attempted premeditated murder after driving his mother’s car onto the sidewalk near AK Plaza Bundang branch in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City, hitting five pedestrians, then exiting the vehicle and wielding a weapon inside the department store. Among the victims, a woman in her 20s, A, and a woman in her 60s, B, who were struck by the car, died while receiving hospital treatment.

In the first trial, the prosecution sought the death penalty for Choi Won-jong, but the court sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court recognized Choi Won-jong’s diminished mental capacity but did not accept it as a mitigating factor.