A person surnamed Baek (38) was indicted on charges of murdering a neighbor with a Japanese sword. Following life imprisonment sentences in both the first and second trials, it has been reported that he appealed to the Supreme Court on the 18th.

A man in his 30s named Baek, who is accused of wielding a Japanese sword and causing death to a neighbor in an apartment. /Courtesy of News1

On the 16th, Baek submitted an appeal to the 2nd trial panel, the Criminal Division 1, presided over by Director General Yoon Seong-sik.

Previously, on the 13th, the 2nd trial panel sentenced Baek to life imprisonment for charges including murder and violations of the Firearms and Explosives Control Act, just as in the first trial. The prosecution sought the death penalty in both the first and second trials.

Baek was arrested and indicted on charges of killing the victim by swinging a Japanese sword, which was licensed for decorative purposes and measures about 102 cm in total length, about 10 times toward the victim's face and shoulders, around 11:22 p.m. on July 29 last year. Baek believed that the victim was a Chinese spy following and monitoring him, prompting the crime.

In February, the first trial sentenced Baek to life imprisonment and ordered him to wear a location-tracking electronic device for 20 years. Both Baek and the prosecution appealed the first trial's verdict.

Baek claimed, "The sentence is too heavy," but the 2nd trial panel stated, "When the defendant is returned to society after a certain period, the risk of a similar outcome occurring again in this case seems very high," and added, "We have no choice but to impose a sentence that permanently isolates him from society."

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