A Chinese national who was indicted on charges of murdering a woman he lived with in Garibong-dong, Guro District, Seoul, was sentenced to a heavy term in the first trial.
The Criminal Agreement Division 14 of the Seoul Southern District Court (chief judge Lee Jeong-hee) on the 19th sentenced a person surnamed Kim (62), who was detained and indicted on murder charges, to 20 years in prison and five years of probation.
The court found high blameworthiness, saying that although Kim had previously been fined for inflicting an injury requiring six weeks of treatment on the victim, he committed murder on the grounds that he suspected the victim of infidelity.
The court said, "From the early investigation to the trial, (Kim) offered an unconvincing excuse that there was no intent to kill, and tried to evade punishment by blaming the victim for her death."
Kim is accused of stabbing a woman in her 50s, with whom he lived, dozens of times with a weapon at about 3:17 a.m. on July 31, killing her. Kim had habitually suspected the victim of infidelity and had conflicts, and was found to have committed the crime in a fit of rage during an argument on the day of the incident. Kim was also fined in June 2023 for assaulting the victim and injuring her.
Earlier, in its sentencing recommendation, the prosecution asked the court to sentence Kim to 30 years in prison, attach an electronic monitoring device for 10 years, and order five years of probation.