Korean Court Finalizes Life Sentence for Man Who Used Victim's Fingerprint for $43,000 Loan

*Editor's Note: "Today's That Day" revisits past news events to find meaning for the present.*

One year ago on March 4, 2025, prosecutors sought the death penalty for Yang Jung-ryul, then 31, in the Gimcheon officetel murder case.

At the sentencing hearing held at the Gimcheon branch of Daegu District Court's Criminal Division 1, presided over by Chief Judge Han Dong-seok, prosecutors requested the maximum penalty of death for charges including robbery and murder. They also sought a 30-year electronic monitoring order.

In December of the same year, the Supreme Court upheld the appellate court's ruling of life imprisonment with 20 years of electronic monitoring.

In November 2024, Yang murdered victim A, also 31, a complete stranger, at an officetel in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. He then withdrew 3 million won from the victim's bank account and used the victim's cash card. Yang used the corpse's fingerprint to obtain loans totaling 60 million won. He also visited a hospital to treat injuries to his hand sustained during the killing, reportedly presenting the victim's identification.

Investigators found that Yang had posed as a building security guard, deceiving the victim into opening his front door under the pretense of checking the card key system.

Yang evaded capture for one week, staying at motels while impersonating the victim. He sent text messages to the victim's parents from A's mobile phone, writing "I'm not home." Investigation revealed Yang had meticulously planned the murder, searching online for weapons and ordering necessary items via the internet beforehand.

Prosecutors conducted an integrated psychological analysis on Yang, which determined he is not a psychopath. "The defendant displayed antisocial emotions stemming from a difficult family environment and appeared to lack feelings of guilt," a prosecution official said.

Court: "Must Be Isolated from Society"

The first trial court sentenced Yang to life imprisonment, stating: "We cannot help but consider severe punishment befitting the defendant's brutal crime that combines a human face with the heart of a beast. We impose the second-heaviest penalty after death to permanently isolate the defendant from society."

The appellate court upheld the life sentence, ruling: "The nature of the crime is extremely egregious. With the intent to escape financial hardship, he decided to rob an unspecified person and stabbed the victim multiple times with a pre-prepared weapon, killing him."

Yang appealed to the Supreme Court, which rejected the appeal, affirming the lower court's judgment as proper and finalizing the life sentence.