Searched for Targets Including Celebrities and Prepared Gas Gun
Scouted Luxury Residential Areas in Gangnam and Yongsan
Ulsan District Court Sentences to Two Years and Six Months in Prison
A man in his 60s who devised a plan to kidnap celebrities or star lecturers and demand ransom, and who obtained their home addresses and vehicle numbers, has been sentenced to prison. It was reported that he meticulously prepared for the crime, including scouting luxury residential areas in Seoul in advance and purchasing weapons and a stun gun.
On June 30, Yonhap News reported that the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 11 (presiding judge Park Dongkyu) sentenced Mr. A, who was tried on charges including attempted robbery, to two years and six months in prison. The court also ordered him to wear an electronic location tracking device for five years, judging that he posed a high risk of reoffending.
In November of last year, Mr. A began making concrete preparations after formulating a plan to kidnap celebrities, famous lecturers, and conglomerates, and steal money from them. He searched the internet for the home addresses and vehicle numbers of potential victims, and also looked up places where he could purchase inhaled general anesthetics.
Mr. A then sought an accomplice. He found Mr. B, who lives in Ulsan, through the sex offender notification site, and called him saying, "I have a good idea, let's do it together." He also proposed, "I know everything about the target's house and car. I intend to steal between 1 billion and 2 billion won," and met Mr. B in person the next day to explain the method of the crime.
However, when Mr. B did not give any particular response for about five days, Mr. A decided to commit the crime alone. He gathered weapons, a gas gun, binoculars, handcuffs, transparent tape, and cable ties at his home in Miryang and moved to a hotel in Seoul. He also purchased a stun gun and pepper spray. He then drove around luxury residential areas in Gangnam-gu and Yongsan-gu, Seoul, searching for a crime location for about a week.
Mr. A's criminal plan was exposed when Mr. B, whom he had tried to recruit as an accomplice, reported him to the police. At the time, Mr. B, who was living an ordinary life working at a company after serving time for a sex crime, was reportedly afraid that receiving a call from a stranger like Mr. A might cause him trouble, so he contacted the police.
In court, Mr. A claimed that he had only told Mr. B a wild story and had no real intention of committing robbery. However, the court did not accept this, citing the fact that Mr. A had prepared tools for the crime, searched luxury residential areas using navigation, tried to find other accomplices besides Mr. B, and had multiple prior convictions for robbery.
The court explained its sentencing by stating, "The defendant meticulously planned the crime in advance and appeared to have a firm intention to commit it, making a heavy sentence unavoidable. However, we also took into account the fact that he ultimately did not carry out the robbery and his age."
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