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Appellate court reduces sentence for man who beat wife to death

Published: 23 Apr. 2025, 19:34

The Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul High Court building in southern Seoul [JOONGANG ILBO]

A man in his 30s who beat his estranged wife to death after seeing her with another man had his sentence reduced on appeal. The couple had reportedly been separated and embroiled in a prolonged custody dispute.

The Chuncheon branch of the Seoul High Court on Wednesday sentenced the defendant to 10 years in prison, overturning the original sentence of 15 years handed down by a lower court. The man was convicted of murder and violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Domestic Violence.

The defendant assaulted his wife in April last year in Gangneung, Gangwon, punching her in the face, slamming her head against the asphalt, and repeatedly stomping on her head. She later died from diffuse brain injury.

According to investigators, the couple had been living apart since February 2024 after an altercation during a drinking session with acquaintances. The woman left their home following the incident.

The couple had two children and had been locked in disputes over custody, each accusing the other of abuse and neglect.

Both parties had reported each other to police multiple times and filed legal complaints for child abuse. The wife had also filed for divorce.

An illustration of a woman scarred [JOONGANG ILBO]

The man told the court he had gone to his wife’s residence to confirm rumors of her infidelity and gather evidence for the divorce proceedings.

When he saw her with another man, he lost control and shouted, “How can you be having an affair after leaving our kids at a childcare facility?” before assaulting the woman.

The wife died of brain injuries roughly 40 days after the incident.

The defendant maintained in both the district and appellate trials that he had not intended to kill her and should therefore be convicted of involuntary manslaughter. However, the court upheld the murder conviction.

“The physical and emotional pain the victim endured is beyond imagination,” the appellate judges said. “The young children, having lost their mother at the hands of their father, are likely to suffer lifelong trauma.”

The court said it took into account several mitigating factors in reducing the sentence: the defendant admitted to the crime and expressed remorse; the killing appeared to be spontaneous rather than premeditated; he had reached a settlement with the victim’s father, albeit one of limited legal significance; and he had shown some belated effort to care for his children.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]