'Busan roundhouse kick' assailant has serial killer-levels of psychopathy, test shows

Social Affairs

Published: 16 Jun. 2023, 15:01

'Busan roundhouse kick' assailant has serial killer-levels of psychopathy, test shows

A CCTV footage provided by the victim's law firm shows the man sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempted murder and sexual assault kicking a young woman in the head at her apartment building in Busan on May 22, 2022. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

The man who knocked a young woman down with a roundhouse kick and assaulted her in Busan last year has the same level of psychopathy as notorious serial killer Kang Ho-sun, according to legal sources.

On Monday, Busan High Court sentenced the 31-year-old man to 20 years in prison for the attempted murder and sexual assault of a woman in her 20s, a complete stranger, on May 22, 2022.

According to legal sources Thursday, the assailant scored 27 out of 40 points on the psychopathy checklist, or PCL-R.

The PCL-R consists of a 20-item checklist used to give an indication of the level of psychopathy of an individual, assessing traits such as guilt, lack of empathy, impulsivity and irresponsibility.

An individual who received above 25 points is considered a psychopath in Korea under this assessment. In the United States, scores above 30 indicate a psychopath, while the average person usually scores less than 15 points.

Kang is an incarcerated 53-year-old serial killer who was sentenced to death in 2009 for killing 10 women. He killed his wife and mother-in-law after setting their house on fire in 2005, and killed eight women from 2006 to 2008, including a university student.

In the so-called "Busan roundhouse kick case," the assailant followed the young woman, of no prior acquaintance, to her apartment. He knocked her down with a roundhouse kick to the back of her head and kept assaulting her in the hallway of the first floor of her apartment building until she lost consciousness. He then dragged her to a blind spot that could not be captured by CCTV and allegedly attempted to sexually assault her.

The incident ignited public fury after the man was sentenced to only 12 years by a lower court after being convicted of attempted murder. There have been public demands for his identity to be revealed as well.

In Monday's ruling, the Busan High Court recognized the charges of attempted sexual assault, on top of murder.

The appellate court also ordered the disclosure of personal information of the assailant in public communications networks for 10 years and issued a 10-year employment ban at institutions related to children or young people and organizations related to the disabled. He is also required to wear an electronic tracking device for 20 years.

The assailant also was assessed as having a "high" risk for recidivism under the Korean Offender Risk Assessment-General, or KORAS-G, measuring the criminal tendency of prisoners, scoring 23 points.

The court said that considering the defendant's "excessive aggressiveness, lack of ability to control his behavior and antisocial personality traits" revealed through the PCL-R and KORAS-G evaluation results, "it is questionable whether he has the basic will to abide by the law."

The ruling however fell short of the prosecution's earlier recommendation of a heavier prison term of 35 years after finding further evidence, including DNA samples from the victim's clothes, that the man had tried to sexually assault her.

The assailant showed little sign of remorse while he was in prison, even telling fellow inmates of intentions to retaliate against the victim.

The judge in Monday's ruling said that even after imprisonment, the assailant "shows no remorse for his wrongdoing by revealing his intentions to retaliate against the victim and her family and expressing strong hostility toward the investigative authorities and the court."

The victim shed tears after the ruling, telling reporters that she feared for her safety after 20 years, when her assailant, four years older than her, would be released from prison, noting he will just be 50 years old then.

The PCL-R psychopathy score of major criminals in Korea include serial killer and self-confessed cannibal Yoo Young-chul at 38 points, child rapist Cho Doo-soon at 29 and "Molar Daddy" killer Lee Young-hak at 25.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]