”Gangnam kidnapping and murder case”: Two defendants sentenced to life imprisonment - South Korea

The two main suspects, Lee Kyung-woo (37) and Hwang Dae-han (37), who were given life sentences for kidnapping and murdering a woman in her 40s in Gangnam, Seoul last year, have been given life sentences.
The sentence has been finalized. The Supreme Court of Korea upheld the original ruling that sentenced defendants Lee and Hwang to life imprisonment on the 11th for robbery and murder.
The husband and wife duo Yoo Sang-won (52) and Hwang Eun-hee (50), who were involved in the crime, were also sentenced to 23 years, eight years, and six years in prison, respectively.
The Supreme Court ruled that the court's decision "contravened the laws of logic and experience, exceeded the limits of the principle of free judgment, and
"There was no mistake in misunderstanding the legal principles regarding the conspiracy relationship between two people and the establishment of the crimes of preparation for robbery and violation of the Narcotics Control Law," he said. "It cannot be said that the decision to uphold the first-instance ruling was extremely unjust.
The court ruled that Lee, Hwang, and Yeon were involved in the shooting of victim A (aged 48 at the time of death) in front of an apartment complex in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at around 11:46 p.m. on March 29 last year.
He was put on trial for charges of murder-by-robbery, attempted robbery, and abandoning the body, after abducting the victim and killing her the following morning and burying the body in a field near Daecheong Dam in Daejeon.
In addition, the Yoo Sang-won couple responded to the defendant Lee's suggestion to kidnap Mr. A, who was in conflict with them over a failed virtual currency investment, steal the virtual currency, and kill him, with whom they exchanged 70 million yen in criminal funds.
The first trial sentenced Lee and Hwang to life imprisonment, while Yeon, who participated in the kidnapping and murder, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The Ng couple were sentenced to eight and six years in prison, respectively. The second trial also gave a similar verdict. The second trial court said of the defendants Lee and Hwang, "The crime was extremely cruel," and "The defendants were identified as the victim's family members.
"It appears that he has never spoken to the deceased or made any effort to substantially compensate the bereaved families for their losses," the court said, upholding the life sentence handed down by the original ruling.
Regarding the Yoo Sang-won couple, he said, "It goes beyond the robbery and conspires to commit murder.
However, the court took into consideration the fact that the defendant, Yeon, "appears to have admitted to the crime and is remorseful, and that he reached a settlement with one of the bereaved families in the second trial," and sentenced him to 23 years in prison.
The sentence was commuted.