The father of an assailant, who posted derogatory comments about the victim in an article covering the so-called ‘Japanese sword murder case,’ has been given a suspended prison sentence.
The Seoul Western District Court sentenced 60-year-old Mr. Baek to one year in prison with a two-year probation for defamation of the deceased.
Mr. Baek was tried on charges of posting comments 23 times over two months starting last August, claiming that the deceased victim was “a Chinese spy attempting to start a war on the Korean Peninsula, making the crime justified.”
The court pointed out that “the defendant implied false facts, undermining the victim’s social evaluation.”
However, it explained the reason for the sentence by stating that “consideration was given to the fact that the comments were unrealistic and unlikely to be accepted as they are by the general public.”
The victim’s father, who attended the trial and was given a chance to speak, said, “It has been 13 months since my son died and was buried in the ground, yet we have not received a single apology,” adding, “Today’s probation decision makes the bereaved family cry twice.”
Mr. Baek’s son was sentenced to life imprisonment last February for killing a neighbor by wielding a 102 cm sword in an apartment in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, last July.