Man Sentenced to 20 Years in First Trial for Murder in Office-tel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul

Ordered to Wear Electronic Ankle Bracelet for 10 Years

A man in his 40s who was tried for murdering a woman in her 30s at an officetel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, was sentenced to a heavy punishment in the first trial.

The Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Sang-yeon) held a sentencing hearing on the 15th for Kim Mo (44), who is charged with murder, and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Along with this, he was ordered to wear an electronic ankle bracelet for 10 years.

Kim was indicted on charges of stabbing the victim five times with a weapon and strangling her to death at an officetel near Hwagok Station in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, where he resided, on November 8 last year.

The court said, "The method of the defendant's crime appears to be quite brutal, and it is difficult to imagine the mental suffering the victim must have endured leading to death," adding, "The defendant showed an attitude of minimizing his crime during the investigation process and attempted to shift responsibility onto the victim, which is viewed negatively."

The victim's bereaved family, who showed tears even before the trial began, burst into grief after the sentencing, saying, "This is not right. What about our daughter?" Throughout the trial, Kim stood silently with his face covered by his hands, listening to the court's reasoning for the sentence.

Earlier, at the sentencing hearing in February, the prosecution requested a 30-year prison term for Kim, stating, "The victim's family has suffered mental shock from this case and hopes for a strong punishment." The court considered as sentencing factors that the defendant admitted to the crime and showed remorse, and that the crime was committed impulsively.