Ex-pilot gets life sentence for killing former airline colleague

Busan District Court sentenced ex-pilot Kim Dong-hwan to life in prison on Friday for the murder of a former airline colleague and a plot to kill five others. The 49-year-old was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. He was also ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device for 30 years following the March 17 stabbing in Busan and a failed attempted strangling in Goyang the day before.

The three victims all attended the Air Force Academy and had worked together at the same airline. After the Busan murder, Kim attempted to carry out the planned attack on a third former colleague in Changwon, but was unsuccessful. The court deemed Kim's stated motive for the crimes as hard to accept and deemed him a permanent threat to society.

Kim claimed that the victims, fellow pilots at the Air Force Academy, had slandered him and put him at a disadvantage. However, the court dismissed this claim as one-sided, as the victims either did not understand the motive or had only a vague recollection of Kim. Additionally, the court noted that Kim exhibits egocentric thinking and presents a high risk of reoffending, recommending psychiatric treatment for him.