법원, 민항기 기장 살해 김동완씨 무기징역 선고

A court in South Korea has sentenced former Korean Air pilot Kim Dong-won to a prison term with hard labor for the murder of an Air Korea pilot using a firearm. Judge Im Joo-hyuk of the Criminal 7 Division at the Busan High Court made the ruling on May 21st after hearing evidence that Kim had planned the murder of one pilot with a firearm and carried out the killing himself.

The court also ordered the installation of a tracking device on Kim, to be placed 30 years from now. Prosecutors had previously recommended a prison sentence. The court acknowledged the factual circumstances of the crime but found Kim's actions to be particularly brutal and calculated. The victims, all other Air Korea pilots, were systematically harassed and destroyed by Kim, who claimed he was trying to defraud and intimidate them.

The court noted that Kim had no remorse, even threatening other victims in court. On March 17th, Kim killed pilot Lee (56) in his apartment in Busan. A day earlier, he attempted to kill another pilot in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, but failed. After shooting Lee, Kim sought out another pilot, Kim (60), in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, but was deterred by police protective measures and fled to Ulsan.

Kim told police he had been planning the murders for three years, targeting four pilots, and had been secretly following them for months to determine their locations and plan the attacks.