60-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Killing Woman During Debt Dispute

Court: "Life is Invaluable and Cannot Be Compared to Money"

A man in his 60s who killed an acquaintance over a debt dispute was sentenced to a heavy prison term.

On the 8th, the Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Sang-yeon) held a sentencing hearing for Kim Mo (69), a Chinese national accused of murder, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. The court dismissed the probation and electronic monitoring orders for Kim.

The court stated, "It is questionable whether there was a circumstance that justified killing a person over 12 million won, and above all, the victim's life holds an invaluable worth that cannot be compared to money. The defendant also attempted to conceal the crime and evaded the prosecution's summons for over a month before being arrested. Considering these circumstances, both the act and motive of the crime are malicious," explaining the reasons for the sentencing.

Kim is accused of strangling the victim, Mr. A, to death by neck compression suffocation during an argument over a debt at a villa in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on January 11. The victim had lent Kim 12 million won in 2018, and the dispute arose after Kim, who was in financial difficulty, demanded repayment.

The victim's daughter discovered and reported the deceased about 20 days after the incident, and the police arrested Kim in March in Seosan, Chungnam.

At the previous prosecution hearing held last month, the prosecution requested a 20-year prison sentence for Kim and sought probation and electronic monitoring orders.

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