Court: "Difficult to expect defendant's rehabilitation"
"South Korea is effectively an abolitionist country"
"Death penalty only in extremely exceptional cases"
Suspect Lee Young-bok, who was arrested on charges of consecutively murdering two female business owners in their 60s at coffee shops in Goyang-si and Yangju-si, Gyeonggi Province. [Photo by Gyeonggi Bukbu Police Agency / Yonhap News]
The first trial court sentenced Lee Young-bok (57), who was arrested and indicted on charges of killing two cafe owners in succession in Goyang and Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, to life imprisonment.
The Criminal Division 1 of the Uijeongbu District Court Goyang Branch (Chief Judge Kim Hee-soo) sentenced Lee Young-bok, who was arrested and indicted on charges of robbery-murder and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (rape and murder), to life imprisonment on the 18th. The court also ordered 10 years of public notification of personal information, 10 years of employment restrictions at institutions related to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities, and 20 years of electronic location tracking device attachment.
The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "The defendant committed a crime that took innocent lives targeting women he judged could be easily subdued, and he has committed various crimes in the past, making it difficult to expect the possibility of rehabilitation or recovery of humanity. He has not made any efforts to compensate the victims' families."
It added, "Crimes that infringe on innocent lives must be met with corresponding consequences to prevent recurrence. It is deemed just to have the defendant live in prison, isolated from society without a fixed period, to sincerely repent for his wrongdoings and live with a heart of atonement for the deceased victims."
"South Korea is effectively an abolitionist country... the death penalty is an extremely exceptional punishment"
Regarding the prosecution's demand for the death penalty and Lee Young-bok's own petition to be sentenced to death, the court explained, "South Korea is effectively an abolitionist country," and "Considering that the death penalty is an extremely exceptional punishment, it is only allowed in special circumstances where anyone can recognize it as just in light of the degree of responsibility for the crime and the purpose of punishment, according to Supreme Court precedents."
It continued, "Even if it is recognized that there are sufficient circumstances to punish the defendant severely, it is difficult to find clear circumstances that justify sentencing the defendant to death." When life imprisonment was sentenced to Lee Young-bok, some in the courtroom gallery shouted curses, saying, "He is a murderer who killed two people, and he gets life imprisonment instead of the death penalty?"
Lee Young-bok is accused of strangling the owner A at a cafe in Goyang on December 30 last year and robbing 335,000 won in cash. Six days after the incident, on January 5, he is also accused of entering a cafe in Yangju, attempting to sexually assault owner B but failing, then killing him and stealing 396,000 won in cash.
Lee Young-bok admitted most of the charges but denied the sexual crime charges throughout the trial. However, the court did not accept this, based on the location of DNA and semen found on the victim's body.
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