"Stabbed While Protecting Her Two Daughters"... Family of Three Sisters in Wonju Urges Heavy Sentence for 16-Year-Old Offender

National Petition Calling for Stronger Criminal Punishment for Minors
The Perpetrator Said He "Did It Because He Was Ignored"

Police image. The Asia Business Daily database

The family of the victims in the stabbing attack on three sisters that took place at an apartment in Wonju, Gangwon Province, has called for a heavy sentence for the teenage perpetrator, referred to as A.

On February 9, a family member of the victims, identified by the surname Kim, posted a petition titled "Petition Calling for Stronger Criminal Punishment for Minors" on the National Consent Petition Board of the National Assembly. Kim appealed, saying, "If the punishment is significantly reduced solely because the perpetrator is a minor, this amounts to another act of violence against the victims and their families," and added, "There must be strong and effective punishment for serious crimes committed by juvenile offenders and other minors."

Kim explained, "Because of this incident, my sister-in-law and my two nieces suffered serious injuries. My sister-in-law is in a condition where plastic surgery is unavoidable, and my older niece suffered severe injuries to her face, right arm, and other areas." Kim continued, "My younger niece also suffered severe damage to the ligaments and nerves in her right wrist, and we do not even know whether she will be able to use her hand normally after six months."

Kim went on to say, "The perpetrator has a history of having done boxing in the past and has a physique close to that of an adult man," and argued, "Given that such a perpetrator used a weapon and a blunt object to launch an indiscriminate attack against women, this conduct is clearly a crime in which the intent to kill can be recognized."

Kim added, "Under the current law, minors aged 14 to 17 can be subject to criminal punishment, and protective disposition can also be imposed concurrently, but because they are under 18, they cannot be sentenced to death or life imprisonment, and the maximum term of a fixed-term sentence is limited to 15 years," and appealed, "All serious crimes, which are becoming more heinous by the day, must without exception be subject to criminal punishment, and the upper limit of fixed-term imprisonment must also be raised to reflect reality."

Under current law, maximum fixed-term imprisonment is 15 years... "Committed the crime because he was ignored"

The incident occurred at around 9:12 a.m. on February 5 at an apartment in Dangu-dong. A allegedly wielded a weapon against a woman in her 40s, referred to as B, and her two teenage daughters. A police investigation revealed that A already knew the password to the apartment building's shared entrance door, waited inside the victims' home, and then broke in and committed the crime the moment B opened the door. It has been reported that the perpetrator testified along the lines of, "I committed the crime because I was ignored." In response, the victims' family refuted this, saying, "This is a one-sided claim by the perpetrator."

Under the current law, minors aged 14 or older and 17 or younger can be subject to criminal punishment. However, under the Juvenile Act, they cannot be sentenced to death or life imprisonment, and fixed-term imprisonment is also limited to a maximum of 15 years. The victims' family again called for a heavy sentence, saying, "(Even if the perpetrator is imprisoned) he will still be in his 30s when he is released after 15 years. If the sentence for a heinous criminal is drastically reduced simply because the perpetrator is a minor, this is another act of violence against the victims and their families."

The petition received the consent of more than 7,000 people within two days of being posted, and whether it will be released is currently under review in accordance with the National Assembly's Petition Review Rules.