Supreme Court upholds life sentence for man after fatal knife attack in Seoul

SEOUL: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the life sentence of a man who committed a stabbing in Seoul last year that left one person dead and three others injured.

Cho Seon, 34, was charged with stabbing a 22-year-old man multiple times and attempting to kill three other men with a gun near Sillim Station in Seoul in July last year, Yonhap news agency reported.

All of the victims were strangers to him. Cho initially told investigators that he wanted to hurt happy-looking people out of feelings of inferiority, but later claimed that he was mentally incapable of recognizing things and making decisions – an argument that was interpreted as an attempt to gain leniency.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court sentenced him to life imprisonment. The verdict could not be considered unfair and there was no violation of the defendant's right to a fair trial. The prosecution had demanded the death penalty for him.

Cho's stabbing, which was followed two weeks later by another similarly fatal stabbing in Bundang, south of Seoul, shocked the nation and led to a flood of online posts threatening further crimes against him.