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Man sentenced to life in prison for supermarket stabbing

Published: 19 Aug. 2025, 14:17 Updated: 19 Aug. 2025, 21:07

The identity of Kim Sung-jin, a 32-year-old who fatally stabbed a woman in her 60s with a knife he took from a display shelf at a supermarket in Mia-dong, Gangbuk District, on April 22 [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

A man who went on a stabbing rampage at a supermarket in northern Seoul, killing a woman in her 60s, was sentenced to life in prison.

The Seoul Northern District Court on Tuesday sentenced 32-year-old Kim Sung-jin to life imprisonment and ordered him to wear an electronic location-tracking device for 30 years. He was found guilty of fatally stabbing a woman in her 60s with a knife he took from a display shelf at a supermarket in Mia-dong, Gangbuk District, on April 22, and other charges.

The court condemned the defendant for having “repeatedly stabbed and murdered the victim, who had simply gone out grocery shopping on an ordinary evening.”

“It is likely that the victim, who was attacked suddenly and without any means to defend herself, experienced extreme fear and helplessness at the time,” the court added.

Based on the overall sequence of events, the court concluded that the defendant, Kim, had premeditated the crime.

During the final hearing on July 15, prosecutors sought the death penalty, arguing that Kim showed no potential for rehabilitation.

However, the court noted that the decision to commit the crime may have been made impulsively while experiencing auditory hallucinations, and that this should be taken into account during sentencing.

He also attempted to kill another woman in her 40s but stopped after she pleaded for her life, resulting in a charge of attempted murder.

BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]