Ex-con stabs a man for being happy with family

Police on Saturday apprehended a convicted rapist and burglar surnamed Yun in connection with the grisly murder in August of a 42-year-old man surnamed Yim and the injuring of Yim’s wife.

According to investigators, Yun, 33, said he drank a bottle of makgeolli (Korean rice wine) on Aug. 7 in a playground in Sinjeong-dong, western Seoul, from which he heard joyful laughter from the rooftop home where Yim and his wife lived. Their laughter infuriated him.

“I hated how society perceives convicts,” Yun told police. “I was enraged instantly after I heard others living happily while I eke out a living in difficult circumstances.”

Yun had been working as a day worker at construction sites. When he heard the laughter, he sneaked up to the rooftop with a fruit paring knife. He beat up Yim’s wife first and then brutally stabbed Yim in front of the couple’s 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son. Yim died after he was taken to a nearby hospital.

After examining CCTV records and Yun’s DNA samples obtained from a cap left in the house, police managed to identify and arrest Yun on the street. He was wearing the same shirt and sneakers as on the day of the murder.

By Kim Mi-ju [mijukim@joongang.co.kr]