Alleged killer boycotts court

The serial killer suspect Yoo Yeong-cheol, 34, refused to appear in court for the 2 p.m. resumption of his trial yesterday, forcing a postponement.
Mr. Yoo submitted a letter through prison guards saying he had “nothing to reveal in court.” An official at Seoul Prison said, “Mr. Yoo was adamant that he did not want to appear in court, so we could not force him.”
Seoul District Court’s criminal division said “The defendant showed no justification for not appearing in court,” and delayed the next trial session until Oct. 11.
Mr. Yoo is accused of murdering more than 20 persons. He was arrested in July.
The Seoul Seobu Corrections Office gave the district court a report that seemed to put some blame on the court system for Mr. Yoo’s alleged crimes. It said that the suspect had 14 criminal convictions between 1988 to 2003, but was never ordered into counseling, given probation or put into community service programs after those offenses.