'Mountain Trail Sexual Assault and Murder' Choi Yoon-jong Sentenced to Life Imprisonment by Supreme Court

Choi Yoon-jong, who attempted to sexually assault and killed a woman in her 30s on a hiking trail in Seoul, has been finally sentenced to life imprisonment.

Choi Yoon-jong, accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a woman on a hiking trail in Sillim-dong, is being transferred to the prosecution at the Seoul Gwanak Police Station in August last year. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the 29th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Justice Oh Seok-jun) upheld the original sentence of life imprisonment and a 30-year electronic location tracking order for Choi, who was charged with violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (rape and murder).

On August 17 of last year, Choi followed the victim who was ahead of him on a hiking trail in Gwanaksan, Seoul, struck the victim's head with two knuckles he had purchased in advance, and attempted to rape her. When the victim resisted, he strangled her until she was in cardiac arrest, and while dragging her down a slope to conceal the crime, he was arrested by the police. The victim died two days later, on August 19, from brain damage caused by compression asphyxia.

The courts in the first and second trials sentenced Choi to life imprisonment. Both trial courts recognized Choi's intent to kill.

Choi appealed, claiming he had no intent to kill and that the sentence was too harsh, but the Supreme Court rejected the appeal. The Supreme Court stated, "There is no error in the legal reasoning of the lower court's judgment," and added, "Even considering various circumstances, it cannot be said that maintaining the first trial's sentence of life imprisonment for the defendant is grossly unjust."

Regarding the electronic monitoring order, the court also said, "There is no error in the lower court's judgment that the defendant poses a risk of committing murder again."