'Japan also murder' perpetrator sentenced to death... Bereaved family requests "Keep him isolated forever"

Baek Claims Diminished Mental Capacity
Prosecution: "Clear Awareness and Purpose"

Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for a man in his 30s who killed a neighbor by wielding a Japanese sword at the main gate of an apartment complex in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, last year.

Baek Mo, who was urgently arrested by the police on suspicion of fatally stabbing a neighbor with a Japanese sword at an apartment in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, last August, is appearing. Photo by Yonhap News

On the afternoon of the 21st, during the sentencing hearing of Baek (38) held at the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 12 (Presiding Judge Kwon Seong-su), prosecutors requested the death penalty, stating, "The defendant committed the murder with a clear awareness and purpose to eliminate the victim." Baek claimed diminished mental capacity, but the prosecution judged that he was not in such a state. The sentencing date is scheduled for the 13th of next month.

The bereaved family appealed, saying, "Please isolate (Baek) from South Korea forever," expressing their grievance. They added, "My husband, who fulfilled his duty to the nation, and the father of our children whom we trusted and relied on, was cruelly taken away by that murderer."

Baek was brought to trial on charges of killing Kim (43), an apartment resident, by wielding a decorative sword approximately 75 cm in blade length and about 102 cm in total length, which was legally permitted, at around 11:22 p.m. on July 29 last year. Since around October 2023, Baek had fallen into a delusion that "Chinese spies were planning to start a war against South Korea," and he committed the crime believing the victim was a Chinese spy monitoring him.

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