'Apartment Neighbor Indiscriminate Assault Murder' Choi Seong-woo Sentenced to 30 Years in First Trial

Bereaved Family’s Attorney Urges Prosecution to Appeal

Choi Seong-woo (28), who is accused of brutally murdering a neighbor at a smoking area in an apartment in Jungnang-gu, Seoul last year, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in the first trial.

The Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Northern District Court (Chief Judge Lee Tae-woong) sentenced Choi Seong-woo, who was indicted on murder charges, to 30 years in prison and 5 years of probation on the 11th.

Choi Seong-woo is accused of killing a neighbor in his 70s whom he happened to encounter at a smoking area in an apartment in Jungnang-gu on August 20 last year by repeatedly punching the victim’s face and head dozens of times and striking his head against landscaping stones in a brutal assault.

It was investigated that Choi committed the crime under the delusion that the victim was harming him and his mother.

The court stated, “The motive and method of the crime are incomprehensible and cruel. Considering that the victim had to suffer the tragedy of being killed for an incomprehensible reason, the defendant’s guilt is heavy,” and added, “Based on the defendant’s behavior and claims during the investigation, there is doubt whether he is truly remorseful.”

Earlier, the prosecution demanded a life sentence for Choi Seong-woo and requested the attachment of an electronic tracking device and probation. Nam Eon-ho, the legal representative of the bereaved family, urged the prosecution to appeal, saying, “The defendant needs to be permanently isolated from society, and furthermore, I believe he committed a crime that could warrant the death penalty, the highest sentence in court.”