A man in his 30s charged with murdering a friend he was living with and abandoning the body has been sentenced to 27 years in prison in the first trial.

The 14th Criminal Division of the Seoul Northern District Court (Presiding Judge Oh Byeong-hee) sentenced the defendant, surnamed Sung (34), who was indicted and detained on charges including murder, abandonment of a corpse, and assault, to 27 years in prison today, and ordered the attachment of a location-tracking electronic device for 15 years.

The court stated that the nature of the crime was very grave, noting that Sung indiscriminately beat and strangled the victim, who was also his friend, and that the victim likely met their end amid extreme suffering.

The court added that after the crime, Sung even abandoned the body in the Namhan River, forcing the bereaved family to endure unspeakable anguish without even being able to hold a funeral. Pointing out that Sung attempted to flee abroad and conceal the crime, the court emphasized that severe punishment corresponding to his culpability is necessary.

The court also rejected claims by Sung's defense that he had no intent to commit murder.

The court explained that Sung beat the victim despite the victim's poor physical condition and could have sufficiently foreseen that strangulation could lead to death.

During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors had previously demanded life imprisonment and requested an order to attach an electronic device for 20 years.

Sung is accused of strangling a man in his 30s, surnamed Lee, who lived with him in an apartment in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on January 14, after Lee asked for money to refuel a motorcycle, and then abandoning the body in the Namhan River at Dumulmeuri in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province.

Prosecutors stated that Sung had frequently subjected the victim, who experienced difficulties in social life, to violence and intimidation, treating him as a target to vent his anger.

(Photo: Yonhap News)