Quarrel over faulty investment leads to attempted murder

The Seoul High Court said recently it upheld a six-year prison term for a 67-year-old North Korean defector for the attempted murder of another defector over a faulty investment opportunity.

A defendant was found guilty of attempted murder, after he stabbed the 70-year-old victim nine times and assaulted him with his fist at 11:40 p.m. on Nov. 14. The court turned down his claim of not intending to murder the victim, pointing out that he called the police after the crime and said he had "just committed murder today."

The victim recovered after six weeks of medical treatment.

"It does not appear that the initial ruling (by the lower court) is outside the rational range of (the court's) discretion," the appellate court said in its verdict, also upholding the ruling for the defendant to be on probation for five years.

The quarrel between the two men, who had known each other since 2003, occurred after the victim introduced a woman to the defendant. The defendant invested 50 million won ($37,500) in the business opportunity recommended by the woman, which resulted in him losing 43 million won and subsequently holding a grudge against the victim.

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