Prison terms of up to 30 yrs upheld for 2 men charged with murdering ex-girlfriend’s teenage son

JEJU– An appeals court on the southern island of Jeju upheld a lower court’s decision and sentenced a man to 30 years in prison for murdering a teenage son of his ex-girlfriend and gave a 27-year prison sentence to an accomplice.

Baek Kwang-seok, 49, and his accomplice, Kim Si-nam, 47, allegedly strangled a middle school-age son of Baek’s ex-girlfriend with a belt at the victim’s home on Jeju in July last year reportedly in anger over the estranged relationship.

“The nature of the crime is serious and highly blamable. The pain the victim may have suffered is beyond any words,” a judge at the Gwangju High Court’s branch on Jeju said in the ruling.

But the court ruled the killing does not appear to have been premeditated, rejecting the prosecution’s request for the death penalty for both.

The police made public the identities and photos of the two men in July last year, saying it serves the public’s right to know, given the crime’s brutality.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

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