”Daegu version of roundhouse kick case” prison sentence reduced from 50 years to 27 years, victim protests = South Korea

A man in his 20s who followed a woman on her way home and attempted to sexually assault her, then killed her boyfriend who tried to stop him, had his sentence nearly halved on appeal, leading to strong protests from the victims.
At around 10:56 pm on May 13, 2023, Defendant A (29), dressed as a delivery man wearing a hat, followed Ms. B, a woman in her 20s, who was about to enter a one-room apartment in Daegu.
When the front door opened, Defendant A threatened Ms. B with a weapon and attempted to sexually assault her, causing serious injuries including a ruptured artery. He also brandished the weapon at Ms. B's girlfriend, Ms. C, who entered the house after him.
Although Mr. C finally regained consciousness about 40 days after suffering brain damage, he was diagnosed with a permanent disability that would make it difficult for him to carry out daily life, equivalent to the social age of an 11-year-old.
The first instance trial sentenced Defendant A to the longest term of imprisonment in Japan.
On December 1st of last year, the Daegu District Court sentenced Defendant A to 50 years in prison, which was heavier than the 30 years sought by the prosecution.
The court also ordered him to disclose his personal information for 10 years, to be restricted from working in child-related institutions for 10 years, and to wear a location tracking device for 20 years.
Defendant A targeted people when they were not on guard and committed the crime while dressed as a delivery man.
This is because the defendant had carefully planned the crime, including searching for a target and purchasing a weapon in advance. In particular, it was revealed that the defendant A had searched for "rape" and other words on the Internet before the crime.
The incident occurred in Busan in 2022 when a man in his 30s indiscriminately assaulted a woman waiting for an elevator at an officetel (a residential/office complex) in an attempt to sexually assault her.
It was compared to the "Busan Roundhouse Kick Case" and was also called the "Daegu Roundhouse Kick Case." Both cases have in common that the perpetrator and victim were not acquainted with each other.
However, the appeals court overturned the original ruling and reduced the sentence to 27 years.
The defendant A's argument that "the murder was unintentional and accidental" and that "the sentence is too severe" is reflected in the judgment.
On the 23rd, the Daegu High Court stated, "Even after the defendant made a criminal deposit of 100 million won (approximately 11.46 million yen) on behalf of the victim, the victim's side has expressed their opinion that they wish for severe punishment."
However, the prosecution also explained the reason for the reduction, saying, "We took into consideration the fact that he admitted to all the charges and showed remorse from the investigation stage." In addition, the sexual assault and murder were both attempted, and the attempted murder was not a planned crime but an accidental one.
The judge cited several points, including that the crime was apparently a targeted one, that the victim's aftereffects had improved, even if only slightly, and that there was no high risk of the victim committing another crime.
No intention of settling the matter has been shown, and even now, a year later, Mr. C suffers from serious after-effects that prevent him from leading a normal social life, and he continues to complain of distress.
Mr. C's father, who will now spend the rest of his life caring for his son, said through KBS, "As soon as he entered the house, he cut his girlfriend's wrists and said, 'This is the end.'
"The circumstances were unsuccessful, but if my son had arrived later, my girlfriend would have died," he said.
The prosecution will analyze the sentence and then decide whether to appeal.