KOR
▲ Kim Dong-hwan
A court has sentenced 49-year-old Kim Dong-hwan to life imprisonment for meticulously plotting to murder six individuals, including a fellow airline pilot who was a former colleague, and successfully killing one of them.
The 7th Criminal Division of the Busan District Court (Presiding Judge Lim Joo-hyuk) sentenced Kim, who was indicted on charges including murder, attempted murder, and preparation for murder, to life imprisonment on the 21st of last month.
The court also ordered Kim to wear a location-tracking electronic device for 30 years.
The court stated that the defendant drafted a murder blueprint, purchased crime tools accordingly, tracked the victims to identify their residences, and scouted the surrounding areas to figure out the timing and locations for the crimes.
The court added that Kim prepared for the crimes with extreme meticulousness, such as using only cash and changing clothes afterward.
The court also pointed out that the motive claimed by the defendant is difficult to comprehend.
According to the court, Kim claimed that the victims, who graduated from the Air Force Academy and worked as pilots, systematically plotted against him and caused him disadvantages, leading to these crimes; however, this amounts to nothing more than a one-sided assertion.
The court further noted that the victims not only failed to understand why Kim harbored a grudge against them, but some of them even had vague memories regarding the very existence of Kim.
The court sentenced Kim to a heavy penalty, stating that he needs to be isolated from society.
Based on psychological evaluation results, the court explained that the defendant exhibits strong egocentric interpretations, a high risk of reoffending, and requires psychiatric treatment.
The court emphasized that it is difficult to expect him to live while forming bonds with ordinary people in the future, and given his heightened risk of reoffending, it is necessary to permanently isolate him from society to prevent another tragedy where the lives of ordinary citizens living in our society are violated.
Kim was indicted on charges of stabbing a former airline colleague, identified as pilot A, to death with a weapon multiple times around 5:30 a.m. on March 17 at an apartment in Busan Jin-gu, Busan.
Investigations revealed that prior to the crime, he had designated a total of six people, including past workplace colleagues such as A, as targets for murder and drew up specific crime plans.
On March 16, the day before murdering A, Kim attempted to kill another former colleague, pilot B, by ambushing him at a residence in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, and trying to choke him with a tool, but failed.
Immediately after murdering A, he visited the residence of another former colleague, C, in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, for an additional crime, though it did not lead to an actual offense.
During the sentencing hearing, the prosecution demanded a life sentence for Kim, pointing out that the case is grave and the nature of the crime is extremely malicious as he actually attempted serial murders targeting multiple victims.
In his closing statement at the sentencing hearing, Kim made remarks foreshadowing further crimes by mentioning the remaining five target victims.
He asserted that the future of the five remaining people is already decided, claiming that if he could not commit the crimes himself, he had entrusted the work to someone else who would kill them and clean up afterward.
When the prosecutor asked whether he regretted or blamed himself for the crimes, he answered that he had none. When the presiding judge repeatedly asked if he felt any remorse toward the victims, he replied, "None. It is because they are the perpetrators."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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