Prosecutors Demand Death Penalty for 'Dating Murder Medical Student'... Bereaved Family Kneels Before Judge

Prosecution Requests Death Penalty from Court
Bereaved Family Asks "Please Let Them Escape the Pain"

The prosecution has demanded the death penalty for a medical student who was arrested and indicted for stabbing his girlfriend to death with a weapon on the rooftop of a building near Gangnam Station in Seoul.

On the 8th, during the sentencing hearing of Choi (25) held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Woo In-seong), the prosecution requested that Choi be sentenced to death. Considering the possibility that the death sentence may not be carried out, they also requested 30 years of electronic monitoring and probation orders.

The prosecution stated, "Choosing the ultimate punishment to permanently isolate him from society is inevitable, and even if the death sentence is not executed, having him live as a death row inmate to repent for life is the empathy and consolation society must offer to the bereaved family."

A male medical student in his 20s, accused of murdering his girlfriend with a weapon on the rooftop of a building near Gangnam Station, is attending a pre-trial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 8th.

The prosecution pointed out, "The defendant tried to shift the cause externally, claiming that the victim's father knew about the marriage registration and tried to prevent him from becoming a doctor," and added, "Ultimately, the defendant showed no remorse toward the victim until the very end."

In his final statement, Choi tearfully said, "I was trapped in my own wrong thoughts during the past time, and in the end, I committed an act that should never have been done," and apologized, "I apologize to the victim, the victim's family, and those who loved the victim."

When the court gave the victim's father an opportunity to speak, he knelt before the court and pleaded, "I earnestly ask the court to sentence Choi to death so that the victim's family can be relieved, even if only slightly, from their suffering."

He appealed, "Please show to the whole world that the law exists and is strict in this land so that murderers do not take the law lightly and commit crimes."

The court scheduled the first trial sentencing date for Choi on the 20th of next month.