'30-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Killing Lover and Withdrawing 36 Million Won'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] A man in his 30s who killed a woman he was in a romantic relationship with was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the Criminal Division 12 of the Seoul Eastern District Court (Chief Judge Park Sang-gu) sentenced Kang Mo (38), who was tried on charges of murder, theft, fraud, and violation of the Specialized Credit Finance Business Act, to 20 years in prison.

Kang began dating A (37), who worked as a karaoke hostess, in 2017. Kang deceived her by claiming that "a relative is a famous film director" and implied that he could provide financial support. However, on November 27 of last year, when A found out that this was false and said, "I am a woman who works at a bar, and you are a man with only debts. There is no hope," expressing her intention to break up, Kang killed her.

After the crime, Kang stole A’s mobile phone, cash, cards, bankbook, and security card, and withdrew a total of 36.84 million KRW from A’s account, which he used to repay personal debts. He also gave more than 3 million KRW to a woman he met through a "conditional meeting." Additionally, he used A’s check card to buy a 440,000 KRW toy for his daughter.

A’s body was left at Kang’s house for 18 days until he was arrested by the police. When the police were searching for A after a missing person report, Kang even sent text messages pretending to be A.

The court stated, "He killed the victim, who was his romantic partner, because his pride was hurt after being criticized for his financial situation. Human life is the most sacred value that forms the foundation of our society, and any act that violates it can never be forgiven."

It added, "The nature of the crime is very serious as he obstructed the investigation and tried to disguise the victim’s death as a suicide. The victim’s family and acquaintances are pleading for severe punishment," explaining the reasons for the sentencing.

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