70-Year-Old Sentenced to 4 Years for Stabbing 2 Police Officers in Front of Presidential Office

A man in his 70s who was charged with injuring two police officers with a weapon in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was sentenced to prison.

A man in his 70s, Park Mo, suspected of stabbing two police officers on duty in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office with a bladed weapon, is attending a detention warrant hearing at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu last November.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 11 (Chief Judge Bae Seong-jung) on the 26th sentenced Park Mo (78), who was detained and indicted on charges including attempted murder and injury to a public official performing special duties, to 4 years in prison and 3 years of probation.

The court stated, "The defendant committed a serious crime that could have resulted in the death of a police officer," and added, "This crime seriously obstructed the legitimate exercise of public authority and police duties and threatened safety, making the nature of the crime very bad, so a prison sentence commensurate with the responsibility is inevitable."

However, the court explained the sentencing by saying, "Considering that the defendant suffers from a mental illness, we will reduce the sentence due to diminished mental capacity."

Park is accused of stabbing the abdomen and arm of two police officers on duty in front of the Presidential Office at around 1:20 p.m. on October 31 last year. Park was arrested as a suspect at around 1:25 p.m., about five minutes after the report.

Park is also accused of assaulting a police officer on duty with a wooden cane near the Seoul Regional Veterans Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on September 8 last year.

Previously, the prosecution had requested a 7-year prison sentence for Park. Immediately after the sentencing, Park requested an opportunity to speak, expressing his grievance that he was not receiving the old-age pension.

Park’s lawyer previously claimed, "It appears that he was refused when he went to the bank to receive the old-age pension. He went to Yongsan several times to protest, and the accumulated frustration led to this impulsive incident."

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