Accused sword murderer 'not sorry' on day of victim's funeral

Social Affairs

Accused sword murderer 'not sorry' on day of victim's funeral

Published: 01 Aug. 2024, 15:45 Updated: 01 Aug. 2024, 17:10

LEE SOO-JUNG
lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr

Officers escort Baek, a 37-year-old murder suspect, to the Seoul Western District Court for a questioning session before the court ruling on his arrest warrant on Thursday in western Seoul. [NEWS1]

A 37-year-old accused of killing a neighbor with a long Japanese sword said that he was “not sorry” on Thursday when the victim's funeral procession took place.

Judges questioned Baek at the Seoul Western District Court at 9:50 a.m. on Thursday to assess the necessity of issuing an arrest warrant.

The interrogation took place three days after Baek allegedly murdered a 43-year-old man using a sword with a 75-centimeter (29.5-inch) blade in an apartment complex in Eunpyeong District, northern Seoul on Monday night.

Baek, on his way to the court, told reporters that he'd attacked the victim because he'd thought the man was following him, adding that he'd refused to undergo a drug test due to “secret spies.” He'd told police that he'd thought the victim was a spy stalking him during an investigation earlier this week.

The suspect denied having a habit of carrying the long sword and said he'd undergone no feud or conflict with colleagues at his workplace.

As he left the court at 11:30 a.m., he reportedly said “my motive of the offense is to punish [first lady] Kim Keon Hee and Chinese spies,” claiming that Kim and China had attempted to instigate war on the Korean Peninsula.

The court is expected to rule on the arrest warrant Thursday afternoon.

Police determined that Baek and the victim had come across each other a few times inside their apartment complex but had never been personally acquainted.

The offender's tendency toward eccentric behavior, including screaming and cursing out loud, had prompted police to visit the residential complex several times in the past, Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday.

The National Police Agency said in a news release Thursday that it would conduct a nationwide inspection of the 82,641 swords that are registered and approved for ownership.

Around 30 relatives and friends of the victim processed from his funeral alter at Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital to a crematorium the same day.

The victim's bereaved family members, including his wife and two sons aged nine and four, also bid farewell.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]