"Looking for a Cheaper Studio in Sillim... Family Pleads 'Devil, Please Sentence to Death'"

Relatives of Victims in Shillim Station Stabbing Incident Demand Severe Punishment
"Ensure No Sentence Reduction with Insincere Apology Letters"

The bereaved family of the victim who died in the stabbing rampage at Sillim Station in Seoul has called for the perpetrator to be sentenced to death.

The Shinlim knife attacker leaving the police station on the 23rd for a warrant hearing. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 23rd, Kim, who identified himself as the cousin of victim A (22), said, "We request the harshest punishment, the death penalty, so that the perpetrator of the Sillim Station stabbing incident does not return to society and cause another unjust death like this."

He stated in a National Assembly public petition, "Since the deceased did not usually live in Sillim-dong, I could not believe the news of his death and went to confirm the body myself. Seeing the knife wounds and scars all over his body from head to toe broke my heart."

"The De Facto Head of the Household... Went to Look for a Cheaper One-Room and Met Tragedy"

A petition posted by the bereaved family of the deceased victim on the National Assembly website. [Image source: Screenshot from the National Assembly People's Consent Petition website]

According to Kim, A was effectively the head of the household and took care of his younger sibling. On the day of the incident, A went alone near Sillim Station to look for a cheaper one-room apartment and was attacked.

Kim said, "He was really kind and mature. When he was a high school senior preparing for the college entrance exam, just three days before the test, his mother passed away after battling cancer, but he stayed at the funeral home and comforted his younger brother who was in middle school."

He added, "When his father, who was working abroad, faced business difficulties, A earned tuition and living expenses by tutoring from the time he entered university, and recently worked part-time while taking care of his younger brother. (On that day as well) he went to a real estate agency to look for a cheaper one-room to reduce living expenses."

"Devilish Suspect, Please Keep Him from Returning to Society"

Citizens visiting a memorial space for a man in his 20s who died in a stabbing incident near Sillim Station.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Kim raised his voice demanding severe punishment for the stabbing perpetrator, Jo (33).

He said, "The deceased’s young brother, who lost his only pillar, his older brother, has no parents and had to send off his brother alone. The brother says he doesn’t know how to live and pleads that the suspect must never be released into the world."

He continued, "The devilish suspect brutally killed my kind and pitiful younger brother just because he caught his eye first. The bereaved family trembles in fear that the suspect, who writes insincere apology letters disguised as remorse to get reduced sentences, will be released back into society."

He added, "The suspect claims he regrets it because he wanted others to be unhappy too. We hope that no further chances will be given to this 33-year-old suspect with multiple criminal records, as there is no room for rehabilitation or improvement."

He also appealed, "Please ensure this case does not fade away as a simple random attack, that the harshest punishment, the death penalty, is imposed, and that such a devil never returns to society."

"Wanted to Make Others Unhappy"... Arrest Warrant Issued

Earlier, around 2 p.m. on the 21st, near Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Jo wielded a weapon against passersby in a commercial alley, killing A and injuring three men in their 30s. Jo, a Korean national, has three prior convictions for assault and other crimes, and 14 juvenile investigation records.

During police questioning, Jo reportedly stated, "I live unhappily, so I wanted to make others unhappy too. I committed the crime in a fit of rage." Regarding why he chose the area near Sillim Station, he said, "Because I had visited several times with friends to drink, I knew it was a crowded place."

Meanwhile, Judge So Jun-seop of the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant during Jo’s pre-trial detention hearing that afternoon, citing "risk of flight."

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