Former soccer player kicks woman indiscriminately in assault...Korean judgement determines he committed murder with ”negligible intent”

A former soccer player in his 40s who dragged a woman he had just met into an alleyway and indiscriminately assaulted her, including performing a "soccer kick," leaving her seriously injured, was given a life sentence shorter than the prosecution's request for.
He was given a light sentence of 25 years in prison. The Busan District Court handed down this sentence to a defendant in his 40s, surnamed Kwon, who was indicted on charges of attempted murder and robbery on the 20th.
At the closing hearing held on the 19th of last month, the prosecution said, "If defendant Kwon is sentenced to a fixed term of imprisonment, another victim will be created. In particular, the victim will be Kwon's son.
He refused to settle because he feared that similar incidents could occur again if he did so, and urged the court to sentence him to life imprisonment.
According to the prosecution, Kwon was sentenced to seven years in prison for robbery and rape in 2008, and was arrested six months after his release from prison for two counts of assault.
He has served multiple prison sentences, including a five-year sentence for robbery at a convenience store in Tokyo, where he threatened a clerk with a deadly weapon and stole money from the store.
"The defendant cannot be expected to abide by the law, and he has a strong history of violent behavior, making him at high risk of reoffending," the court said. However, the court also stated, "The defendant committed the crime due to panic disorder and depression.
"It is believed that he committed the crime with the intent to kill the victim," he said, explaining the reason for the sentence, "The crime was limited to attempted murder, and the sentence was reduced from the statutory life imprisonment."
"We know very well what happens when someone uses their feet to assault someone for a considerable period of time," he said, adding, "Looking at the number of times and the content of the crimes, we believe there was intent to kill, even if it was only partially effective."
In the previous trial, Kwon claimed that he had committed the crime while drunk and had no intention of killing. Prior to this, Kwon had missed three court appearances due to a panic disorder.
On the 13th of this month, the court requested, "Please tell the prison guards to bring Kwon in even if they have to carry him on their backs," and as the defendant's detention period was about to expire, the trial was postponed.
On the early morning of February 6th, Kwon allegedly dragged a woman in her 20s, whom he did not know, into a deserted alley in Seo-gu, Busan, and threatened her with a weapon, intending to steal her money and valuables.
Kwon is accused of indiscriminately assaulting the woman 30 times, including performing a "soccer kick" on her head, then stealing her cell phone and fleeing.
The victim was rushed to the hospital after a passerby reported the incident and her life was saved, but she suffered a broken jaw and wounds to her hands from the murder weapon, and was left with serious injuries that required eight weeks of recovery.
According to prosecutors, immediately after the incident, Kwon told an acquaintance, "There is a lot of blood on my face and shoes. It looks like I've killed someone."
The prosecution emphasized, "The victim, a woman in her 20s, will have to live with the trauma of this incident for the rest of her life. This is tantamount to murdering an important individual."