A Man in His 60s Who Applauded Death Sentence Appeals and Then Says, "Please Carry It Out"

"I'll Play with Your Soul Above Your Head" Prosecutor Criticized Again

A man in his 60s, who was sentenced to death in the first trial for killing his cohabiting partner, appealed the verdict but then requested the death penalty to be carried out again during the appeal trial.

At the first appeal hearing held on the 20th at the Criminal Division 1 of the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court, presided over by Judge Seo Samhee, Mr. A changed his stance, stating, "My lawyer argued that the sentencing was unfair."

He then claimed that he never extorted money or valuables from his cohabiting partner, but the prosecution's indictment incorrectly included such allegations, and although he had taken drugs before the crime, the prosecution did not conduct hair tests or other examinations.

During his testimony, he criticized the prosecutor, saying, "If you want to be a prosecutor, do it properly. If I am executed, I will haunt you as a spirit above your head," and "I can beat up a prosecutor even now."

In his final statement, he said, "I don't want to make any excuses," and "If I killed someone, I should naturally die too," requesting the execution of the death penalty.

Gyeongnam Changwon District Court Busan High Court Changwon Branch.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

The prosecution stated that based on testimonies from family members and others, they judged that Mr. A had no recent drug use.

They drew a clear line, saying that the claim of diminished mental capacity due to drug use, which was not made until the first trial, is just a statement for sentence reduction in the appeal trial.

The prosecution sought the death penalty, the same as in the first trial.

They explained, "There are six victims of murder and attempted murder caused by Mr. A, and the possibility of reoffending is high as he repeatedly committed murder after release. There is no possibility of rehabilitation within the facility. If a life sentence is imposed, parole opportunities open up, so there is no option other than the death penalty."

According to the court, Mr. A was indicted for stabbing his cohabiting partner, Ms. B, in her 40s, to death with a weapon at a residence in Changwon last year, and was sentenced to the highest penalty, death, on August 24.

The two often quarreled over financial issues, during which Mr. A assaulted Ms. B, and on the day of the incident, he killed her because he felt ignored during an argument.

At the time of the first trial sentencing, Mr. A said, "Please save the prosecutor's face. Just carry out the death penalty once, decisively," and added, "The presiding judge is probably a senior judge by now with a career. I believe it’s natural since you probably haven’t carried out a death penalty yet."

When the court sentenced him to death, he burst out laughing, stood up, clapped his hands above his head, and said to the prosecutor, "Hey prosecutor, isn’t this satisfying?"

Afterward, without any particular reason, Mr. A submitted an appeal letter simply stating, "I appeal."

Mr. A first entered prison as a juvenile offender in 1970 and has since been sentenced 15 times to imprisonment and 8 times to fines, spending a total of 29 years and 8 months in prison.

Among these, there have been three attempted murders from 2004 to this year, and two murders. The motive for all murders and attempted murders was feeling ignored.

This incident occurred one year and two months after he was released last January after serving a 12-year sentence for murder and other charges.

The second trial sentencing hearing for Mr. A will be held at 2 p.m. on February 7 next year in the same courtroom.

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