Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty Again in Appeal Trial for Four Suspects in Gangnam Kidnapping and Murder Case

Accomplice Yeon Ji-ho Who Confessed Faces Life Imprisonment Sentence Request

The prosecution requested the death penalty again in the appellate trial for four individuals accused of actively participating in the so-called 'Gangnam kidnapping and murder' case.

On the 11th, during the sentencing hearing of seven accomplices held at the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 7 (Presiding Judges Lee Jae-kwon, Song Mi-kyung, Kim Seul-gi), the prosecution asked the court to sentence Lee Kyung-woo (37), Hwang Dae-han (37), and the couple Yoo Sang-won (52) and Hwang Eun-hee (50) to death. For another accomplice, Yeon Ji-ho (31), life imprisonment was requested, and for two others who assisted in the crime, including Lee Kyung-woo’s wife, seven years in prison each was sought.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The prosecution stated, "This case involves kidnapping and murdering a woman in the heart of Gangnam, then secretly burying her in a remote mountain area, which warrants severe punishment," adding, "The bereaved families continue to suffer extreme pain." Regarding the couple Yoo Sang-won and Hwang Eun-hee, who were not found guilty of murder in the first trial, the prosecution said, "They make absurd claims such as expecting to safely return the victim after only committing robbery, or believing they were only performing debt collection work and thus handed over money," and questioned, "It is doubtful whether they are truly remorseful."

The trio of Lee Kyung-woo, Hwang Dae-han, and Yeon Ji-ho were arrested and indicted on charges of robbery-murder, attempted robbery, and corpse disposal for kidnapping victim A at 11:46 p.m. on March 29 last year in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, murdering her the next morning, and secretly burying her in a mountain near Daecheong Dam in Daejeon.

The couple Yoo Sang-won and Hwang Eun-hee, who were also arrested and indicted, had conflicts with victim A due to failed cryptocurrency investments and, following Lee Kyung-woo’s proposal to kidnap A, seize cryptocurrency, and kill her, provided 70 million won as crime funds.

Previously, the prosecution sought the same sentences in the first trial. However, on October 25 last year, the court sentenced Lee Kyung-woo and Hwang Dae-han to life imprisonment, and Yeon Ji-ho, who confessed to the crime, to 25 years in prison. The couple Yoo Sang-won and Hwang Eun-hee were sentenced to eight and six years respectively, as it was difficult to recognize that they had conspired in advance to commit the murder. The other two accomplices were each sentenced to five years in prison.

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