Court hands 18-year jail term for lawmaker’s nephew in parricide

The Uijeongbu District Court on Thursday sentenced a nephew of a lawmaker to 18 years in prison for killing his father after being denied a credit card payment on his behalf.

Prosecutors had demanded a 20-year prison term for the defendant, surnamed Joo, citing the brutality of his crime.

The latest case garnered considerable attention following confirmation that the defendant was the nephew of Joo Kwang-deok, a legislator with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. 

Joo, who is 40 years old, was indicted on the charge of murder, committed hitting his father over the head with a flowerpot and then stabbing him multiple times on Feb. 26 in their house in Guri, Gyeonggi Province.

According to the police, the defendant, who lacked the financial resources, had initially asked his father to pay 400,000 won ($375) on his behalf. He committed the crime after being denied financial assistance.

Despite fleeing the scene immediately, Joo is said to have been arrested by police a week later when a physical brawl broke out between him and a passerby in Jungnang-gu, Seoul.

Police said Joo was initially charged with parricide -- the act of murdering a parent -- but was later charged with murder after DNA test results denied paternity.

In South Korea, the court hands down stricter punishment to individuals found guilty of parricide, compared to murder of a non-family member.

By Catherine Chung (cec82@heraldcorp.com)