Filipino gets jail term for attempted murder on stepson

Daejeon High Court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a 39-year-old Filipino man to two years in jail for the attempted murder of his stepson.

The defendant had been accused of stabbing his 22-year-old stepson in the back while he was eating lunch in the kitchen of their apartment in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, on July 4. He chased down the victim and stabbed him again, this time in the chest.

The defendant said he suspected that the victim had poisoned the food of his stepbrother, but had no evidence for this. He claimed that the attack was intended to scare the victim, but the court said that he could have anticipated the attack would be fatal, given the depth and location of the wounds.

South Korea stipulates that murder should be punished by five or more years in prison or death.

The recommended punishment for attempted murder is at least one-third of the lowest punishment, meaning the defendant got the lowest possible punishment for his crime. The court said it took into consideration that he had a young son and had been forgiven by the victim.

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