30s in Thailand Dismembered and Abandoned Korean Corpse... Punished Again in Korea

[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] In early January last year, the body of a Korean operator of an illegal gambling site, who was murdered by a colleague, was found in Thailand. In connection with this case, a Korean man in his 30s who served 10 months in prison in Thailand for assisting in dismembering and disposing of the body was also unable to avoid a prison sentence in South Korea.

On the 6th, Judge Jeong Yeon-ju of the Criminal Division 5 at Cheongju District Court sentenced A (33) to 1 year and 6 months in prison and ordered his immediate detention. A was charged with desecration and disposal of a corpse, fraud, and other offenses.

A (33), a computer program developer, joined a group operating an illegal gambling site based in Thailand around March 2018.

They entered Thailand illegally from Cambodia and rented a house to operate the gambling site.

In early January last year, a financial dispute arose among Korean members of the organization regarding the operation of the site. Eventually, member B (33) murdered another member C (35).

Under B’s coercion, A dismembered C’s body. He then placed the remains in plastic bags and disposed of them in a remote mountain area and near a seaside breakwater in the Rayong region of southeastern Thailand.

After the bodies were discovered one after another, Thailand was thrown into turmoil, and soon after, the main culprit B was arrested by Thai police.

Upon learning of B’s arrest through media reports, A contacted the Korean Embassy directly and surrendered after persuasion by the embassy’s police attach?.

The condition of the mutilated corpse found at the time of the murder incident in Thailand
[Captured from Bangkok Post website] [Image source = Yonhap News]

As a result of this case, A was convicted by a Thai court and served 10 months in a local prison before being deported to Korea.

However, under Article 3 of the Korean Criminal Act (Offenses Committed Abroad by Nationals), which punishes crimes committed abroad by nationals, A is also subject to punishment in Korea for desecration and disposal of a corpse and other charges following his conviction in Thailand.

Article 3 of the Criminal Act stipulates that nationals who commit crimes abroad are also punishable. However, according to Article 7 of the same law, if the offender has been punished abroad for the same crime, the domestic sentence is reduced accordingly when enforced.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that before going to Thailand, in 2014, A was involved in a crime where he illegally obtained a housing lease deposit loan supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Korea and was prosecuted along with his accomplices.

A claimed innocence, stating that he was forced to participate in the crime under B’s coercion, but the court did not accept this defense.

The court explained the sentencing rationale, saying, "Considering the means and consequences of the crime, as well as the surrounding circumstances, the nature of the crime is extremely serious, making appropriate punishment inevitable. However, the sentence was determined taking into account the time served in the Thai prison and A’s remorse for the incident."

A has appealed against this ruling.

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