Top court upholds life sentence for Sillim stabbing perpetrator

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Top court upholds life sentence for Sillim stabbing perpetrator

Published: 12 Sep. 2024, 15:04

LIM JEONG-WON
lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr

Cho Seon, who was 33 years old at the time of the stabbing spree, is escorted to the prosecutors' office by police from the Gwanak police station on July 28, 2023. [NEWS1]

The Supreme Court upheld an appellate court’s verdict on Thursday that sentenced Cho Seon, the perpetrator of a fatal knife attack in Sillim-dong in Seoul last summer, to life imprisonment.

On July 21, 2023, the 34-year-old went on a stabbing rampage near Sillim Station in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, killing a 22-year-old man and injuring three others.

“It cannot be said that the original verdict of the sentencing for the defendant to life imprisonment was grossly unfair,” said the Supreme Court in a statement. “There was no error such as a violation of the defendant’s right to a fair trial.”

Cho was indicted on charges of murder and attempted murder for stabbing a 22-year-old man to death with a weapon near Exit 4 of Sillim Station on Subway Line 2 on July 21 last year at around 2 p.m., and attempting to kill three other men by swinging the same weapon at them.

The victims were not acquainted with Cho at all.

He initially told the police that he committed the crime out of anger and wished to inflict the same misery he was feeling upon others. However, in court, he changed his stance and claimed that he had a mental disorder that prevented him from discerning things and making decisions.

Throughout his life, Cho struggled to secure a stable job and took up temporary work, such as deliveries and construction.

In addition to a criminal record with three offenses, Cho was also sent to juvenile court 14 times as a youth.

The prosecution previously demanded the death penalty for him, saying that “he committed an extreme disregard for human life and is not reflecting on his crime, even though the bereaved family is suffering greatly.”

The first and second court trials both sentenced Cho to life imprisonment, which he appealed. The Supreme Court ruled that the lower courts’ rulings were valid and dismissed his appeal.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]