Man gets 11 years for botched kidnap-murder plot

A 39-year-old man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to abduct, rob and kill the head of a company in Incheon after months of planning, a court said Wednesday.

The Incheon District Court found the man guilty of attempted robbery-murder and preparation for robbery. His 33-year-old accomplice, a Chinese national indicted on charges including aiding and abetting robbery resulting in injury, was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison.

According to the court, the defendants targeted the 62-year-old victim, whom they did not know, after planning to kidnap a wealthy person, steal valuables and kill the victim to escape financial hardship.

The main offender attacked the victim in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, in July 2025. The victim narrowly escaped but suffered injuries to his face and head that required two weeks of medical treatment.

“The video of the chase shows that the victim was able to escape danger only because of his relatively quick response,” the court said. “Had he not escaped, serious harm to his body and property would likely have occurred.”

The court described the crime as highly premeditated, saying the defendants selected a victim, prepared tools and even carried out a rehearsal. It said they had prepared the tools needed to bury the victim’s body, pointing to the cruelty of the plan.

The court also criticized the main offender’s lack of remorse, saying he tried to justify the crime by citing personal hardship and a difficult life. Such circumstances could not excuse the conduct or be regarded as sincere repentance, the court said.

To conceal the crime and flee, the defendants reportedly purchased a refrigerated truck and attempted to secure a burial site after three months of planning the abduction. They also applied for visas to Pakistan as part of an attempted escape plan, according to the court.

The accomplice discussed the crime plan in detail with the main offender and helped manage the tools prepared for the crime. In sentencing him, the court considered as mitigating factors that he did not profit from the crime and had made some effort to dissuade the main offender.

The defendants were also indicted on charges of preparing to commit robbery after allegedly selecting another target, a gold shop owner in Incheon. They reportedly followed the shop owner and prepared tools, including a stun device and anesthetics, to steal gold bars and other valuables.