A Man in His 60s 'Enraged' After Losing 200,000 Won in Yutnori... Sets Opponent's Body on Fire and Kills Him

Supreme Court Sentences to 35 Years Imprisonment with 10 Years of GPS Monitoring
Original Verdict Confirmed

A man in his 60s who set fire to an acquaintance’s body and killed him after losing money in a Yutnori gambling game, and even embezzled insurance money, was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The Supreme Court’s 3rd Division (Presiding Justice Eom Sang-pil) upheld the original sentence on the 12th of last month, ordering A, who was charged with murder and violation of the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud, to 35 years in prison and 10 years of electronic location tracking device attachment. A is accused of pouring gasoline on B and setting him on fire in a container located in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, in November 2022.

A lost 200,000 won while gambling Yutnori with four people including B, and when B tried to leave, A grabbed him by the collar, dragged him back to the container, and committed the crime. When the fire did not catch on the victim’s body soaked with gasoline, A brought the lighter closer and ignited it. When neighbors nearby tried to call 119, A stopped them and personally supported B to take him to the hospital. However, B died four months later.

Seven months before the crime, A took advantage of the fact that B had been living alone without much contact with his family after his divorce, and took out a life insurance policy with B as the insured and himself as the beneficiary. It was an insurance product that would pay about 200 million won in case of B’s accidental death, with a monthly premium of 230,000 won. After B’s death, A falsely reported the accident, claiming that he accidentally knocked over a heater causing B’s fatal burns, and received 8 million won in insurance money from the insurance company.

The first trial sentenced A to 35 years in prison and ordered the attachment of an electronic location tracking device for 10 years. A claimed “there was no intent to murder,” and the prosecution appealed, arguing the sentence was too light, but the second trial dismissed the appeals. The Supreme Court also found no error in the lower court’s judgment and dismissed the appeal.