A 47-year-old man, identified as Yang Min-jun, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in the first trial for murdering an elderly neighbor living upstairs, claiming he was a victim of noise between floors at an apartment in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.

The Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court sentenced Yang, who was indicted on charges including murder and special destruction of property, to 25 years in prison today (July 20).

The court also ordered him to wear an electronic tracking device for 10 years.

Yang was arrested and brought to trial for stabbing and killing a neighbor, identified as A, at an apartment in Cheonan on December 4 of last year.

At the time, the victim, A, fled to the apartment management office and locked the door from the inside after being stabbed.

Yang then drove his car into the management office, broke through the door, approached A, and attacked the victim with the weapon again.

Immediately after the incident, the police disclosed Yang's personal information, citing the brutality of the crime.

Yang had claimed that he was suffering from epilepsy and depression, arguing that he was in a state of mental and physical weakness. However, he 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.

The court pointed out, "The defendant was already carrying a weapon when he went to the unit above after hearing construction noise, and he wielded the weapon after a minor argument," adding, "Considering that he chased the fleeing victim and attacked them multiple times, the defendant's claims are not convincing."

The court further stated, "It is difficult to understand the motive for murdering a 79-year-old elderly person, and the method of the crime was cruel, making the culpability high," and added, "His attitude of trying to reduce his responsibility by citing medical treatment for epilepsy or shifting the blame to the victim makes one doubt whether he is truly reflecting on his wrongdoing."

Based on the psychiatric evaluation and other factors, the court determined that there is a high risk of recidivism. It ordered the attachment of an electronic tracking device and prohibited him from approaching within 100 meters of the bereaved family or contacting them during that period.

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Graphics by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News