Random Killing of High School Girl with No Prior Acquaintance... Park Dae-seong Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

[Financial News] Park Dae-seong, who was tried for murdering a teenage girl with whom he had no prior acquaintance, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
According to the legal community on the 9th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Chief Justice Lee Heung-gu) confirmed the original sentence of life imprisonment for Mr. Park, who was indicted on charges including murder.
Mr. Park was tried for allegedly stabbing and killing a teenage girl walking along a roadside in Jorye-dong, Suncheon City, Jeonnam last September, after chasing her for about 800 meters with a weapon.
After fleeing the scene, Mr. Park carried a weapon and visited bars and karaoke rooms operated by women, searching for additional targets. As there were other customers, he could not carry out the crime, and was charged with attempted murder.
The first and second trials sentenced Mr. Park to life imprisonment, citing the brutal nature of the crime and the high risk of reoffending. Mr. Park claimed that he had no intention to kill at the time of the crime and was in a state of diminished mental capacity, but these claims were not accepted.
The second trial court stated, "This crime was an indiscriminate murder targeting an unspecified number of people," and "Although only one victim was actually killed, it was because the defendant could not find a suitable target during the process of searching for victims."
Furthermore, "So-called 'random crimes' pose a severe threat to the lives of neighbors and the safety of society, as anyone can become a victim in unexpected situations, and thus it is appropriate to hold the defendant strictly accountable," it pointed out.
Mr. Park appealed the ruling, but the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, finding no fault in the original judgment.

jisseo@fnnews.com Seo Min-ji Reporter