The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for the assault and attempted murder of his former girlfriend, who broke up with him before the attack.
The defendant in his 30s was found guilty of attempted murder, special bodily injury on another, special intimidation, stalking and intrusion upon habitation, and was also ordered to complete 40 hours in a stalking treatment program.
The court dismissed the appeals made by the defendant, who claimed that he was suffering from an impulse control disorder.
"Even considering the reasons presented (by the defendant) in his appeal, it cannot be said that the initial ruling is not justified," the court said in its ruling.
In what has been dubbed "the Busan wrench incident," after the attacker's weapon of choice, the defendant went to the victim's office on March 2, 2023, with the intent to kill her. He carried out the attack with a wrench and a knife, also injuring the victim's colleague who tried to stop him.
The attack inflicted major injuries on the victim's head, along with stabbing wounds to her liver, lungs, ribs and diaphragm. She was hospitalized for a month to treat her wounds, and the colleague who was injured quit work in the wake of the incident, citing trauma.
Prior to the attack, the defendant went to the victim's home and harmed himself, demanding that she take him back. The victim refused and called the police, which led to the murder attempt.
Earlier this month, the victim's sister posted the photos of her wounds, along with photos taken while she was being treated at the hospital. She decried the lower court ruling that handed down the 15-year jail term, instead of the prosecution's request for a 20-year jail term.
