Perpetrator of 'Geoje Dating Violence' Case Who Killed Ex-Girlfriend Appeals to Supreme Court

Appeals 12-Year Prison Sentence from First and Second Trials

A man in his 20s, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in both the first and second trials for assaulting and causing the death of his ex-girlfriend, has appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court.

According to the legal community, on May 26, the legal team for Mr. A, a man in his 20s, submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court. Provided by the Supreme Court

The defendant, Mr. A, is accused of breaking into the residence of his ex-girlfriend, Ms. B, also in her 20s, on April 1 last year. He allegedly climbed on top of Ms. B while she was sleeping, struck her head and face, strangled her, and violently assaulted her, resulting in her death.

Due to Mr. A's assault, Ms. B suffered serious injuries, including traumatic subdural hemorrhage, which required six weeks of medical treatment. While undergoing treatment at the hospital, she died after 10 days from multiple organ failure caused by sepsis.

It was found that Mr. A had repeatedly committed acts of violence, such as slapping Ms. B on the face, multiple times after they began dating as high school classmates around April 2022.

Even after breaking up with Ms. B just before the incident, Mr. A called her 14 times and, when she did not answer, visited her residence, which was identified as excessive contact behavior (stalking).

Previously, on May 21, the First Criminal Division of the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court held an appellate trial for Mr. A, the defendant in the so-called 'Geoje Dating Violence Death Case,' on charges including injury resulting in death, stalking (excessive contact behavior), and breaking and entering, and upheld the original verdict.

The prosecution, as in the first trial, sought a 20-year prison sentence, arguing that the sentence was too lenient, while Mr. A's side appealed on the grounds that the sentence was too severe. However, both appeals were dismissed.

The court of first instance sentenced Mr. A to 12 years in prison and ordered him to complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program.

The appellate court pointed out, "The defendant has not fully acknowledged his guilt, nor has he made active efforts to compensate the bereaved family or heal their pain. There are also doubts as to whether he is truly remorseful."

The court added, "Considering that the defendant contacted the victim's mother after the victim's head became swollen from the assault, that there appears to have been no premeditated intent to commit the crime or to kill the victim when she wanted to end the relationship, and that this was his first offense, the original judgment is appropriate."

After the appellate verdict, the victim's father said, "Honestly, I expected a life sentence or a verdict equivalent to murder. As the judge said, the perpetrator is a first-time offender. Does that mean a first-time offender can kill someone and it's okay?"

"No matter how many years he serves, what matters is that he is still alive. My daughter can never come back," he said. "Even now, it feels like my daughter will come in calling me 'dad.' I hope something like this never happens again."

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