Prosecutors seek death penalty in appeal over medical student in girlfriend’s murder

Prosecutors on Friday again demanded the death penalty for a medical school student convicted of fatally stabbing his girlfriend, arguing that a lower court’s 26-year prison sentence was too lenient given the brutal nature of the crime.

The 26-year-old surnamed Choi was convicted of stabbing his girlfriend to death on the rooftop of a building near Gangnam Station in southern Seoul on May 6, 2024.

During the final hearing of Choi’s appeals trial at the Seoul High Court, prosecutors demanded the death penalty for Choi, citing the sorrow and pain suffered by the victim’s family and the brutal nature of the crime.

Choi’s lawyer argued the killing was more out of “extreme behavior” than elaborately planned, while stressing Choi’s anxious psychological state at the time.

“I want to apologize for this crime I committed, which makes me deserving of death,” Choi said in his final statement. “I even put the blame on the innocent victim and their family (for my crime), although it was entirely my fault,” he added.

In the initial ruling in December, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Choi to 26 years in prison, although it described the murder as “deliberate,” “cruel” and “highly reprehensible.”

Investigations also found Choi had registered for marriage with the victim without informing their families. The victim’s parents later filed a suit to annul the marriage.