Death sentence sought for Seohyeon Station killer

Choi Won-jong's driver's license photo (left) and a photo taken at the time of his arrest, as released by the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency (Courtesy of Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency)

South Korean prosecutors on Thursday requested the death penalty for Choi Won-jong, the 23-year-old man on trial for a stabbing rampage last year near Seohyeon Station in Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi Province, that killed two and injured a dozen people.

"Two women lost their lives because of (Choi), and the pain suffered by the bereaved families and the injured cannot be described with words," the prosecution told the Suwon District Court at the hearing, also requesting that Choi be monitored by authorities via the GPS-enabled electronic anklet for 30 years.

"Despite the heinous crime that he committed, he has not shown signs of regret, instead seeking reduced punishment by claiming to have been mentally compromised," the prosecution said, denying Choi's earlier claims that he had been suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the attack. South Korean law states that those suffering from mental illness can have their punishment reduced.

On Aug. 3, 2023, at a shopping mall near the subway station, Choi drove a car into pedestrians, got out, and launched an attack with his knife. He has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and intent to commit murder.

He is being charged with the deaths of 20-year-old Kim Hye-bin and 65-year-old Lee Hee-nam, both of whom sustained critical injuries from his attack and died while being treated at a local hospital.

In his final testimony, Choi said that he had mistakenly thought that the majority of the people in the town were stalking him. He claimed to be experiencing delusions of being monitored through a radioactive surveillance camera, being poisoned, and being under threat of a stabbing death.

Earlier this month, the bereaved families of the victims urged the court to sentence Choi the harshest punishment possible, saying that he should be separated from society forever.

The trial for Choi will be held on Feb.1.

Even if sentenced to death, it is highly unlikely Choi's execution will actually be carried out. The death penalty is still technically on the books here, but South Korea is considered internationally as abolitionist in practice, having not carried out an execution since 1997.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)