"No Words Left" Until the End... Death Penalty Proposed for 20-Year-Old 'Random Murderer' of Hikers in Inje

Prosecutors: "Must be Permanently Isolated from Society"
First Trial Verdict Scheduled for the 6th of Next Month

Entrance to the hiking trail where Mr. Han was found dead [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] The prosecution has demanded the death penalty, the highest sentence in court, for a man in his 20s who was charged with stabbing and killing a woman in her 50s, a stranger, with a weapon while hiking in Inje, Gangwon Province.

At the sentencing hearing for Lee (23) held on the 6th at the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Jin Won-du), the prosecution requested, "Please impose the death penalty."

The prosecution explained that since the defendant planned the crime over a long period and the nature of the murder was severe, it is necessary to permanently isolate him from society.

Earlier, the prosecution requested the court to order the attachment of an electronic location tracking device on Lee, while Lee’s side admitted to the charges and requested to receive treatment custody.

Treatment custody is a disposition where a criminal is admitted to a treatment custody facility for medical measures when mental or physical disability is recognized.

The prosecutor did not request treatment custody, stating that the mental evaluation result for Lee was "normal" and that he was not subject to mitigation due to diminished mental capacity.

When the court asked if Lee had any final words, he replied, "I have nothing to say."

Previously, on July 11, Lee stabbed Han (58) with a weapon at the entrance of a hiking trail in Inje-gun, causing Han’s death.

Han had come to this place with two companions to hike but stayed in the car parked at the trail entrance without going up the mountain. Around 2:30 p.m. that day, Han was found dead inside the car.

The police, through a detailed vehicle inspection, identified Lee, who lives nearby, as a prime suspect and made an emergency arrest at Lee’s home around 11 p.m. the same day.

After deploying a criminal profiler, no clear motive for the crime was found. The mental evaluation also confirmed normal results.

Lee’s sentencing trial will be held on the 6th of next month.

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