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Man sentenced to 19 years for murdering twin brother

Published: 06 Jan. 2026, 09:47 Updated: 06 Jan. 2026, 16:36

[KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A man was sentenced to 19 years in prison for fatally stabbing his twin brother during a fight in their home. The man had nine prior criminal convictions and committed the murder while on probation.

The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced the man to 19 years in prison, according to the legal community on Tuesday. He was indicted on charges of murder, aggravated assault, assault and driving under the influence.

The killing took place on Feb. 1 last year at an apartment in Seo District, Daejeon. The man stabbed his twin brother after the brother, who had been drinking, said, “Go die,” during an argument.

Investigators said the man had long harbored resentment toward his brother, who frequently cursed at and mistreated him. He acted in a fit of rage.

In a separate incident, the man was charged with assault after he fell off an electric scooter while drunk on June 6, 2023, in Seo District. When a passerby who witnessed the fall called the police and attempted to follow him, the man struck the passerby with a piece of concrete.

He was also indicted for drunk driving on July 9, the same year, after stealing a car using a smart key that had been left on top of a tire in a public parking lot in Jung District, Daejeon. His blood alcohol level at the time exceeded the legal threshold for license cancellation, and he drove the vehicle for about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).

After being taken into custody by the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, he kicked an official and broke a window.

“A recidivism risk assessment found a high likelihood of reoffending," said the first court. "Although the defendant confessed to the crime, he had prepared the weapon in advance, which shows the severity of the offense.”

“He killed his twin brother simply out of anger, had nine prior criminal convictions and committed this offense while on probation — making the crime highly blameworthy,” the ruling added.

The man was sentenced to 19 years in prison and ordered to wear an electronic monitoring anklet for 20 years. Both the man and the prosecution appealed, but the appellate court upheld the original sentence. The man later filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, which was dismissed.

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 JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]