”Sillim-dong Street Murder Case” Defendant Cho Song sentenced to life imprisonment - South Korea

The Supreme Court has sentenced Cho Seong (34), who was on trial for brandishing a weapon near Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, resulting in the deaths and injuries of four people, to life imprisonment.
On the 12th, the Supreme Court of Korea held a hearing for the appeal hearing of the defendant Cho, who was indicted on charges of murder, attempted murder, theft, fraud, and insult, and upheld the original sentence of life imprisonment.
Cho was arrested and indicted on suspicion of swinging a knife multiple times in an alleyway near Sillim Station on the afternoon of July 21 last year, killing one man in his 20s and injuring three men in their 30s.
In order to carry out these crimes, Cho stole two knives from a supermarket in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul (theft) and took two taxis, spending a total of about 40,000 won (about 4,200 yen).
He is also suspected of fare-free riding (fraud), such as running away without paying. In December 2022, he posted on an anonymous internet community bulletin board, referring to a specific gaming YouTuber, "
He was also indicted on charges of defamation for posting comments to the effect that he "seems gay." The trial court found him guilty of all charges except for the defamation charge, and sentenced him to life imprisonment and 30 years of ban on electronic location tracking devices.
The court ordered the installation of a protective device. The court said, "The defendant will be incarcerated in a state of isolation from society for the rest of his life, and will be forced to repent for his crimes. By isolating the defendant forever, we will be able to maintain social safety and order."
"Therefore, we decided to impose the second heaviest sentence after the death penalty," he explained. The second trial's ruling was the same. The appeals court said, "Inflicting fatal injuries on a man he did not know in broad daylight on a road where many people were passing by,
The court stated, "The crime was extremely brutal and heinous, including swinging a knife at the victim," and added, "Even taking into consideration that the defendant had a persecution complex, the possibility of his accusation is extremely high."
Although the defendant Cho appealed the decision on the grounds that the sentence was inappropriate, the Supreme Court ruled that the original ruling was legitimate and allowed the sentence to stand.
The Appeals Division found that the original court's sentence of life imprisonment against the defendant was not grossly unjust.
"There was no error in the original proceedings, such as not conducting all necessary examinations or violating the defendant's right to defense and right to a fair trial," the court ruled.