30s Man Armed with Weapon Breaks into Neighbor's House Over "Noisy Talking," Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

Seoul Eastern District Court
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A man in his 30s who was charged with breaking into a neighbor's house naked while wielding a weapon was sentenced to prison.

The Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 11 (Chief Judge Son Joo-chul) announced on the 29th that it sentenced A (39), who was indicted on charges of attempted murder, special property damage, and special residential intrusion, to four years in prison.

A, who lives in Songpa-gu, Seoul, broke into the neighbor's house across the street at dawn last November while carrying a weapon. The reason was that they had been noisy the previous evening. A, who was completely naked, shouted "I will kill you all" in front of the victim B's front door and then entered the house. When the startled B locked the living room door, A repeatedly struck the window with the weapon, breaking it and rushing inside. They pushed and confronted each other through the door until A was subdued by B's son, according to the investigation.

According to the court, A had been diagnosed with depression since 2014 and was prescribed medication, but did not improve. In 2014, A attempted to kill a person descending a valley path out of despair over their own situation but failed. In 2018, A also broke into a lover's house and assaulted them with a weapon.

The court stated, "Considering the circumstances of this crime, it is highly likely that A will commit the same murder crime again."

However, the court explained the sentencing reason, saying, "The crime was committed under a state of diminished mental capacity, and A has admitted to all the crimes and is remorseful. Fortunately, the victim B was not injured in this incident."

The court also ordered A to undergo treatment and detention and to wear an electronic tracking device for 10 years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.