Seeking justice, family reveals identity of victim stabbed 190 times by fiancé

A picture of Choi Yoon-jong, right, with her fiance. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The family of a woman who was fatally stabbed over 190 times by her fiancé revealed the victim's identity in a bid for justice.

The Chuncheon District Court on Jan. 11 sentenced the 28-year-old killer, who remains unidentified, to 17 years in prison.

The sentence was lower than the 25-year term sought by the prosecution.

On Monday, the victim's family revealed her identity, Choi Yoon-jong, through the JTBC current affairs program "Scandal Supervisor."

Choi was murdered by her fiancé at their apartment in Yeongwol County, Gangwon, on July 24 last year.

The killer told investigators that he was at the couple’s residence for lunch when the attack took place, allegedly in response to an insult from Choi.

He said he was already under stress, including over an ongoing dispute with the couple’s neighbor over apartment noise, when Choi rhetorically asked him if he was "retarded."

Following the attack, the killer inflicted wounds on his person before contacting the police, to whom he admitted to stabbing Choi.

After undergoing surgery, he was arrested.

The court justified the 17-year sentence by saying the attack was not premeditated. The court also took into account that the assailant immediately notified the police.

The victim's mother, speaking on the JTBC program, argued the murder was premeditated.

She said the killer told a profiler he decided to kill Choi after she woke him from an afternoon nap at work with a phone call.

The mother said he mentioned no insults in the initial investigation.

“He changed his statement just before the sentencing, now claiming that my daughter insulted him,” the mother said.

She said the attack must have occurred sometime in the mere 20 minutes between when the killer took the elevator to the couple's apartment and when he reported the crime to the police.

Additionally, the mother said the neighbors who reportedly argued with the couple had moved out a week earlier.

“I still don’t know the exact truth behind why he murdered her,” the mother said.

The family claimed that the 42 million won ($31,000) payment they received from a government-run victim support center may have influenced the lenient sentence.

The mother said that had the family known that the payment, which they believed to be grievance compensation, was a settlement, they would never have accepted it.

“What kind of parent would accept 42 million won in exchange for their child’s life?” the mother said.

Last week, the prosecution announced it would appeal the case.

The prosecution aims to secure an electronic tracking device for the assailant upon release, a request denied in the initial ruling.

“The victim was brutally murdered, and the family of the victim was never approached for forgiveness,” prosecutors said.

The killer also filed an appeal on Jan. 16.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]