The 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Northern District Court (Chief Judge Lee Dong-sik) sentenced Mr. Woo, who was indicted on murder charges, to 17 years in prison on the morning of the 16th. Additionally, a 10-year restriction on employment at children-related institutions was also ordered. Previously, the prosecution had asked the court to sentence Mr. Woo to 20 years in prison.
The court ruled, “Human life is a value that must be absolutely protected, and murder is a serious crime with terrible consequences and impossible to recover from, and cannot be rationalized for any reason.”
He continued, “This is a crime against humanity in which a young victim who was vulnerable to crime ended her life at the hands of her biological mother, on whom she had no choice but to depend, so the guilt is more severe and the possibility of criticism is greater.”
The court also emphasized that the bereaved family, including the victim’s father, wanted severe punishment. However, the fact that the defendant surrendered immediately after committing the crime, that he appears to have committed the crime while mentally and physically weak due to a depressive disorder, and that he had no criminal history were taken into account as favorable circumstances.
On this day, the bereaved family members in the audience in court shouted, “He should be put to death. Does 17 years make sense?” and “He should die. How can we live now?”
Ms. Woo was pessimistic that her biological son was suffering from the same genetic disease, ‘glomerulonephritis’, and on June 22 last year, she saw her biological son playing a game in the living room of her home and instantly decided to kill her. She was then indicted on charges of strangling her son with her husband’s tie.
Glomerulonephritis refers to a condition in which inflammation occurs in the ‘glomeruli’ that filter out waste products within the kidneys. Glomerulonephritis is known to be a disease that occurs due to acquired factors rather than genetic factors, except for some special cases.
It was reported that no traces of resistance were found on the victim’s body at the time. The prosecution explained, “It appears that the victim was unable to put up any resistance until the last moment due to her trust in her biological mother, who she believed would protect her most safely.”