Neighbor Found Dead After Drinking Baduk Session... Guilty or Not? Legal Battle Unfolds in Court

Mr. A Found Dead Stabbed with a Knife in Living Room
Prosecutors Say "Avoiding Responsibility Claiming No Memory Due to Intoxication"

Two neighbors drank together and played Baduk. However, the next day, one of them was found dead. The prosecution considers the man in his 60s who played Baduk with the victim as the suspect, but he claims innocence, stating he has no motive for murder.

The incident occurred on the night of July 8 last year at Mr. A's residence in Seogwipo City, Jeju. Mr. A, in his 60s, and Mr. B, in his 50s, who each lived alone in the same building, met for the first time that day and shared three bottles of soju at a restaurant. Afterwards, they moved to Mr. A's residence, where they drank and played Baduk.

Two neighbors drank together and played Baduk. However, the next day, one of them died. The prosecution considers the man in his 60s who played Baduk with him as the suspect, but this man claims innocence, stating he has no motive for murder.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

The next day, Mr. B was found dead in the living room of Mr. A's residence, stabbed nine times in the chest, neck, and other areas with a sharp weapon. Upon discovering Mr. B collapsed, Mr. A went upstairs to the landlord's residence on the second floor to ask for help in reporting the incident. Since Mr. B was found at Mr. A's residence, the police identified Mr. A, who had been drinking and playing Baduk with Mr. B, as the suspect. They also received testimony from neighbors who said they heard sounds of a quarrel.

The prosecution also charged Mr. A, believing that while drinking and playing Baduk at his residence, he shouted for unknown reasons and stabbed Mr. B multiple times with a sharp weapon. The autopsy revealed that Mr. B's blood alcohol concentration was 0.421%, a level considered to incapacitate resistance.

Defense Claims "No Motive for Murder" and Pleads Not Guilty

On the 11th, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office requested the court to sentence Mr. A, who was detained and indicted on murder charges, to 20 years in prison, along with 10 years of electronic location tracking and 5 years of probation, during the sentencing hearing held by the Jeju District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Jin Jae-kyung).

The prosecution pointed out, "This incident occurred by chance between two people with no special relationship. Since the victim died and cannot testify, the defendant is avoiding responsibility by claiming he does not remember due to intoxication." They added, "Despite prior convictions for injury resulting in death and multiple acts of violence, the defendant has shown no sincere remorse regarding alcohol-related issues or his crime, warranting severe punishment."

On the other hand, Mr. A maintains his innocence. His defense attorney argued, "It is difficult to say that the fact that the defendant killed the victim has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt," and, "The defendant and the victim met for the first time on the day of the incident, had a friendly meal, drank, and played Baduk, with no motive for murder whatsoever." Furthermore, "The prosecution specified the time of the crime based on testimony from a resident of the building who said they heard quarrelling, but the timing is not precise. Also, the submitted CCTV footage does not clearly confirm building entry or exit, so the possibility of a third party entering cannot be ruled out."

In his final statement, Mr. A said, "I am still very scared. I woke up to find someone dead, and out of fear, I looked for my phone and went to the landlord on the second floor to ask for help in reporting." He added, "More than my innocence, my heart aches that the person I drank with has passed away." The sentencing hearing is scheduled for next month.

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