A 47-year-old man, Yang Min-jun, has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term in his first trial for murdering a neighbor in his 70s with a weapon, claiming he was a victim of noise between floors in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.

The 1st Criminal Division of the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court sentenced Yang, who was indicted on charges of murder and special destruction of property, to 25 years in prison today (July 20) and ordered him to wear an electronic tracking device for 10 years.

Yang was brought to trial on charges of attacking and killing a 79-year-old neighbor, identified as A, who lived in the apartment above him, with a weapon at an apartment complex in Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, around 2:30 p.m. on December 4 of last year.

Investigations revealed that after A fled to the apartment management office to escape the attack, Yang drove his car into the office, damaged the door, and continued to attack the victim with the weapon.

Considering the brutality and gravity of the crime, the police disclosed Yang's personal information shortly after the incident.

During the trial, Yang claimed he was in a state of mental and physical weakness due to a history of epilepsy and depression, but withdrew the claim after a psychiatric evaluation found no abnormalities.

He also argued that the crime was committed impulsively due to construction noise from the unit above, but the court did not accept this argument.

The court stated, "When he went to the unit above after hearing construction noise, he was already carrying a weapon, and he wielded it after a minor argument," adding, "Considering that he chased the fleeing victim and attacked him multiple times, it is difficult to accept the claim that the crime was impulsive."

The court further ruled, "The motive for murdering a 79-year-old elderly victim is difficult to understand, and the method was cruel, making the culpability very high," and added, "It is questionable whether he is truly remorseful, given his attitude of trying to minimize his responsibility or shift the blame to the victim by citing reasons such as his epilepsy treatment."

(Photo: Yonhap News)