"I Lost Money Because of the Woman You Introduced"... 60-Year-Old Tried to Kill the Matchmaker

Court: "Only blaming the victim without remorse or apology"

A man in his 60s who attempted to kill a woman after losing tens of millions of won in an investment upon the recommendation of a North Korean defector woman 10 years ago was sentenced to a heavy punishment again in the appellate court.

The Criminal Division 1 of the Chuncheon Branch of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Min Ji-hyun) announced on the 18th that it dismissed the appeal filed by Mr. A (67), who was charged with attempted murder, and upheld the original sentence of 6 years in prison along with 5 years of probation.

Mr. A was prosecuted for stabbing Mr. B (70) nine times in the face and other areas with a weapon after visiting a North Korean defector support center and drinking together, following a quarrel. Mr. B had come to him on November 14 last year, saying he would help him receive support funds.

Investigations revealed that the two met in 2003 at 'Hanawon,' a settlement support office for North Korean defectors, and had a dispute over an incident where Mr. A invested 50 million won by breaking a savings account 10 years ago upon the recommendation of a woman introduced by Mr. B, resulting in a loss of 43 million won.

Immediately after the crime, Mr. A called 112 himself and reported, "I committed murder today. I killed someone," and was arrested on the spot as a suspect.

In court, he claimed, "I had no intention to kill," but the content he reported to 112 and the extent of the victim's injuries were used as evidence proving the intent to attempt murder, and his claim was not accepted.

The first trial court sentenced him to 6 years in prison, stating, "Rather than showing remorse or apology to the victim, he blamed the victim for the cause of the crime, and the victim also petitioned for severe punishment."

The appellate court, which reviewed the claim that "the sentence is too heavy," also dismissed the appeal, stating, "No special changes in circumstances that warrant leniency in sentencing were found during the appeal, and he has not yet been forgiven by the victim."