The news of that day has passed, but its meaning remains with us today. "That Day in History" reads the present through the records of the past.
"I felt my heart collapse at the thought that there was another man."
On May 10, 2013, a man in his 60s was indicted for stabbing the boyfriend of a woman in her 20s he had long pined for, using a hunting knife. Despite a 39-year age gap, he had pursued her obsessively for years, and his one-sided fixation eventually escalated into attempted murder.
◇ Called Her "Queen" and Doted on Her — But It Wasn't Enough = According to the 24th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (presiding judge Kim Yong-kwan), A, 64, first met B, a 27-year-old woman, in 2010.
A, who worked as a band leader at an entertainment venue, began harboring romantic feelings for B, who was 39 years his junior.
A called B "pretty one" and "my queen," treating her with particular care. He contacted her daily, and when she mentioned she needed money, he even helped her find work.
However, B turned down the jobs he arranged, citing various reasons each time. As the rejections repeated, A grew suspicious that B had a boyfriend.
He eventually staked out her home to confirm his suspicions, and witnessed B arriving home by car with her boyfriend C, also 27. A sense of betrayal overwhelmed him.
◇ Went Home to Fetch a Weapon, Then Returned to Attack = Drinking alone, A spiraled into extreme thoughts. He grabbed a hunting knife, headed to B's home in Gangnam, and waited for C to come outside.
When C emerged shortly after, A attacked him without warning with the knife. Caught off guard, C was stabbed in the face and chest, suffering injuries that required eight weeks of medical treatment, though he survived.
A, swinging the weapon wildly in a fit of rage, was arrested at the scene by police who responded to B's report. He was indicted on May 10, 2013.
During police questioning, A said, "I felt my heart collapse at the thought that B had another man."
In the prosecutor's investigation, A maintained that he had been deceived, stating, "I was angry because she was living with her boyfriend but told me she was living with her cousin."
He also said, "I couldn't stand the thought that she was struggling to earn money because of her boyfriend." But there was no reason for the man in his 60s to have mistaken their relationship for a romantic one simply because the woman in her 20s had spoken to him that way.
The court sentenced A to four years in prison. "The defendant attempted to kill the victim solely because he was the boyfriend of a woman he was fond of," the court ruled. "He committed the crime in a premeditated manner, preparing a hunting knife in advance."
"Considering that the victim sustained serious injuries and that there are no circumstances to mitigate the defendant's motive for the crime, a stern punishment for the defendant is unavoidable," the court stated.
The court added, "Given that the defendant waited for the victim to come out of the house and launched a surprise attack, it cannot be said that his ability to distinguish right from wrong was impaired."
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