“Give Me Back the Money I Lent You”: Loan Shark Who Stabbed an Acquaintance 26 Times Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

[Financial News] A lengthy prison sentence was handed down to a loan shark in their 30s accused of stabbing and killing an acquaintance involved in a debt dispute dozens of times with a weapon at a print shop in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.
On the 13th, Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Western District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Sang-won, sentenced Jeong, 35, who was indicted while in custody on charges of murder and drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act, to 25 years in prison. The court also ordered five years of probation after release and denied an order to wear an electronic tracking device.
Jeong, an unregistered moneylender, is accused of stabbing and killing debtor A with a paring knife about 26 times at a print shop in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on May 22.
Jeong began lending A about 20 million won in 2022, and the two continued their financial dealings. Investigators found that after the amount Jeong was unable to recover reached about 130 million won, Jeong repeatedly demanded repayment. On the day of the crime, Jeong bought a paring knife at a large supermarket near Seoul Station and went to the print shop where A worked.
The court noted, “After buying a paring knife, the defendant stabbed the victim 26 times,” and added, “The method of the crime was extremely brutal, and the victim would have spent their final moments in extreme fear and pain.”
Jeong’s side claimed the crime was impulsive, prompted by anger over insulting remarks from the victim, but the claim was rejected. The court said, “There is no objective evidence confirming whether insulting remarks were made, and even according to the defendant’s own account, the defendant took out the weapon first,” and found it difficult to conclude that the victim had provoked the crime.
The court nevertheless considered it in Jeong’s favor that Jeong had turned themself in and had no prior punishment more severe than a fine, as well as the fact that 20 million won had been deposited with the court, although the bereaved family refused to accept it.
The court denied the order to wear an electronic device, saying, “This is not a case of indiscriminate violence against unspecified people.”
Jeong is also accused of riding a motorcycle for about 5 km on the day of the crime with a blood alcohol concentration of at least 0.03%. Earlier, prosecutors sought life imprisonment for Jeong and asked the court to impose 15 years of electronic monitoring and 10 years of probation.
[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter