Killer in Sillim Station stabbing attack gets life in prison

In July 2023, the 34 year-old Cho Sun assaulted four strangers near Sillim Station in Seoul. One of the victims, a 22-year-old man, died from his injuries. The judge ruled that the crime was extremely violent and savage.

Cho Sun, who was 33 years old at the time, being escorted to the prosecutors' office by police at the Gwanak police station on July 28, 2023. [YONHAP]

The assailant who killed one person and injured three others in a random stabbing attack near Seoul's Sillim Station last year was sentenced to life in prison.

On Wednesday, the Seoul Central District Court also ordered 34-year-old Cho Sun to wear a tracking device for 30 years upon release.

Offenders sentenced to life imprisonment may be eligible for parole after 20 years.

In July 2023, Cho assaulted four strangers near Sillim Station in Seoul. One of the victims, a 22-year-old man, died from his injuries.

The court underscored that the assault, which was committed in broad daylight, had robbed a young man of his life before he could fulfill his dreams.

“The three other young people [in their 30s] have suffered pain, not only physically but also mentally,” the judge said.

“The crime was extremely violent and savage,” the judge added. “It has caused a significant impact on society, as those who saw the video images and those who heard the news were engulfed in fear.”

The judge also said that Cho's violent actions had triggered similar attacks against random strangers in public.

A similar incident occurred two weeks later, involving 23-year-old Choi Won-jong, who wielded a knife at a mall connected to a subway station in Bundang, Gyeonggi.

Though no one was fatally stabbed, two women died after being run over by Choi's vehicle before he ran into the mall.

The judge said, “The court is handing down a heavy punishment to maintain social stability by separating Cho from society forever. "

During his final statement on Jan. 10, Cho told the court that he regretted his actions.

He said he didn't understand why he brutally attacked the victims, who were strangers who committed no wrongdoing.

In earlier police investigations, Cho confessed to attacking strangers out of anger, wanting to inflict the same misery he was experiencing.

Cho struggled with finding a stable job, often working in food delivery and construction.

He also had an estranged relationship with his parents.

The prosecutors' office had asked the court to impose the death sentence on Cho.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]