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Top court upholds 30-year sentence for med student who murdered partner on Gangnam rooftop

Published: 11 Sep. 2025, 14:06 Updated: 11 Sep. 2025, 17:43

A medical student surnamed Choi, accused of murdering his partner, is escorted from the Seocho Police Precinct in southern Seoul to prosecutors on June 14. He allegedly fatally stabbed his partner on the rooftop of a building near Gangnam Station on June 6. [NEWS1]

Korea's top court on Thursday upheld a 30-year prison sentence for a 26-year-old medical student surnamed Choi who murdered his partner on a rooftop near Gangnam Station last year.

Choi is accused of luring the victim, identified as a middle school classmate and later his partner, to the building in May 2024 and stabbing her multiple times with a knife.

The two had begun dating in February of that year and registered their marriage just 53 days later without their parents' knowledge. At the time, the victim was preparing to study in the United States.

The victim’s parents opposed the marriage and told her they would file a nullification suit. She later told Choi she wanted to end the relationship.

Prosecutors said Choi became enraged, bought a weapon and killed her. During questioning, Choi said he feared his medical school would expel him after the victim’s parents threatened to send a legal complaint to the school.

A district court sentenced Choi to 26 years in prison last December. The court said the victim had trusted Choi, but “he killed her while she was defenseless, looking at her phone, according to his plan.”

The ruling noted that the method was brutal and that the emotional toll on her family would be immeasurable.

In June, the appeals court extended the sentence to 30 years, citing clear evidence of intent and the cruelty of the act.

“The crime was carefully planned, and the method was extremely cruel,” the court said, adding that Choi had shown no remorse or basic human decency after the murder.

The court also ordered five years of probation after his release, stating that "prison time alone would not prevent reoffending."

Choi asked for leniency during the Supreme Court trial, saying he had pledged to donate his organs to show repentance.

“I know I cannot bring back the life I destroyed, but I wanted to show sincerity in the only way I could,” he told the court. The plea was rejected.

The Supreme Court said that, considering Choi’s motive, method and the aftermath, the lower court’s prison sentence of 30 years was appropriate.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]