Induk An, who indiscriminately wielded a weapon causing 22 casualties, dissatisfied with life imprisonment? Why did he appeal to the Supreme Court?

Ahn Indeuk Submits Appeal to Supreme Court the Day After Appellate Court Verdict
Profiler: "Strong Intention to Report Nonexistent Victimization"

Ahn In-deuk (42), who was arrested on charges of arson and murder at an apartment in Jinju, is being transported from the Jinju Police Station in Gyeongnam on the afternoon of April 19 last year to go to the hospital.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] An In-deuk (43), the arson and murder suspect in an apartment in Jinju, Gyeongnam, was sentenced to life imprisonment on appeal, but he filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, drawing attention to the background. A profiler analyzed that the appeal was made not for the purpose of sentence reduction but due to a desire to inform others about his victimization, which does not actually exist.

Police officer Bang Won-woo, a profiler belonging to the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency who directly interviewed An In-deuk, said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 1st, "His purpose is not to reduce his sentence, but rather he has a stronger intention to let others know about the harm he claims to have suffered from non-existent targets," adding, "Perhaps his legal team wants to argue that even this approach is a case of diminished mental capacity."

Regarding the possibility of An In-deuk's diminished mental capacity, Bang said, "Certain symptoms were repeatedly observed from the first interview. Based on those symptoms, I somewhat expected that diminished mental capacity would be recognized," and explained, "He remains in an abnormal state all day long, and the symptoms persist. If treatment is not properly administered, he cannot recognize that such thoughts are wrong."

Regarding An In-deuk's perspective on others, Bang suggested that he may tend to see himself as a victim and others as perpetrators. Bang said, "This is called a thought disorder, where he perceives non-existent targets and believes that these perceived targets repeatedly harm him. He likely perceived that everyone around him exists to harm him."

He continued, "Even his usual behaviors like shouting or going upstairs to throw filth were basically attempts to resolve what he perceived as harm caused by others."

Ahn In-deuk (42), who was arrested on charges of arson and murder at an apartment in Jinju, is being transported from the Jinju Police Station in Gyeongnam on the afternoon of April 19 last year to go to the hospital.
Photo by Yonhap News

Bang analyzed that An In-deuk's crime might not have been impulsive but planned. He pointed out, "The preparation of tools for the crime, such as gasoline or weapons, suggests that it was highly likely a planned crime rather than an impulsive act typical of general schizophrenia."

However, Bang emphasized that not all people with schizophrenia are violent. He said, "People with schizophrenia who are untreated and particularly exhibit aggression may commit violence or provoke strangers. When they have symptoms like paranoia, the likelihood of involvement in crime increases significantly," adding, "There are also many who are very withdrawn, passive, and socially isolated. Such individuals often do not exhibit aggression."

According to Changwon District Court on the 30th of last month, An In-deuk filed an appeal with the court on the 25th, the day after the sentencing. The prosecution (Jinju Branch of Changwon District Prosecutors' Office) also filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in opposition to the court's reduction of the sentence from the death penalty to life imprisonment.

An In-deuk is accused of setting fire to his apartment in Jinju, Gyeongnam, on April 17 last year, and stabbing residents who were evacuating, killing five and injuring 17.

The first trial, conducted as a citizen participation trial, sentenced An In-deuk to death in November last year. An In-deuk appealed, claiming that the first trial court erred by sentencing him to death instead of reducing the sentence due to diminished mental capacity. The appellate court recognized his diminished mental capacity and reduced the sentence to life imprisonment.

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