Domestic violence cannot justify murder: court

Self-defense cannot be cited as a valid reason for murder in a domestic violence case, according to the Seoul court on Tuesday.

The Seoul Northern District Court ruled against a 49 year-old woman who killed her husband by choking him with a rope after years of domestic violence. The woman received a two-year prison sentence.

The court said it would uphold the existence of a threat of imminent unlawful injury, since the violence was likely to continue.

The court, however, said that the defendant had the choice of divorcing or reporting the victim to escape the situation instead of murdering him.

“(She) infringed on the rights of human life, which is more honorable and dignified than anything else,” the judge said.

Last September, the victim almost choked the defendant to death when he found out she had changed their rent payment method to raise extra cash to pay for their daughter’s private lessons.

The defendant became depressed and was unable to make rational decisions after the incident.

The court took into consideration that the defendant confessed to the crime and that her daughter pled for a favorable handling of the case, among other factors, in weighing up the offense.

By Suh Ye-seul (sys@heraldcorp.com)