Vietnamese Woman Gets 3 Years for Stabbing Live-In Partner

CHANGWON — A Vietnamese woman in her 30s who stabbed her live-in partner in the neck during a drunken argument has been sentenced to prison for attempted murder. The court rejected her claim that she had no intent to kill.

The Changwon District Court's Criminal Division 4, presided over by Oh Dae-seok, sentenced the defendant, identified only as A, to three years in prison on charges of attempted murder, the court said on the 21st.

A was indicted on charges of attempting to kill her live-in partner, a man in his 30s identified as B, with a knife at her home in Seongsan District, Changwon, on June 8 this year.

A stabbed B in the neck, but B blocked the blade with his hand and avoided a deep wound, leaving the attack incomplete.

A had been unhappy that B often came home late after drinking or could not be reached, according to the investigation. On the day of the attack, she was intoxicated and grew angry during an argument over B's drinking before carrying out the attack.

At trial, A argued that she had injured B only while struggling to keep the knife from being taken from her and that she had no intent to kill. The court did not accept that argument, finding that she had intent to kill given that she had stabbed the neck, an area directly tied to survival.

"The victim suffered mental anguish from the crime, the defendant has not been forgiven by the victim, and she has a prior criminal record for a violent offense," the court said.

The court added that it had determined the sentence "taking into account that she admits the crime and is remorseful, that the victim has recovered his health to some degree, and that the crime was impulsive."