Subtitled News: "I Punched Him, But Didn't Kick Him"... Defendants Remain Defiant in Court

The defendants charged with the assault and murder of the late Director Kim Chang-min denied the charges during their first trial, claiming they "had no intention to kill."

The Namyangju Branch of the Uijeongbu District Court held the first trial today (June 18) for the defendants, surnamed Lee and Im, who were indicted under detention on charges of murder and violation of the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities.

During today's trial, the prosecution stated, "On October 20 of last year, the defendants got into an argument with Director Kim at a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, dragged him into an alleyway, and beat him to death with their fists and feet."

However, the defendants' legal counsel countered, "They used their fists, but did not use their feet, and they had no intention to kill," adding, "We acknowledge the assault or injury, but we do not accept the murder charge."

Regarding the charge of emotional abuse for assaulting Director Kim in front of his son, who has a developmental disability, the defense claimed, "They were unaware that Director Kim's son had a disability at the time, or they did not realize he was witnessing the incident."

They subsequently requested three witnesses, including the restaurant owner and staff members.

The case was initially referred to the prosecution on charges of "assault resulting in death," but through supplementary investigations, the prosecution determined that the defendants could have foreseen Director Kim's death at the time of the assault and applied the charge of "murder." Therefore, the question of whether there was an intent to kill is expected to be the key issue in this trial.

Currently, the defendant surnamed Lee admits only to punching Director Kim three to four times and denies the rest of the charges, while the other defendant, surnamed Im, claims he was merely trying to pull the two apart to separate them.

The father of the late Director Kim attended today's trial and stated, "The defendants denied all charges, but we will discuss how to respond with our legal counsel."

The next trial is scheduled for July 9.

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Lee Dain | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.