Man in His 80s Gets 20 Years for Hair Salon Stabbing Attack

TONGYEONG — A man in his 80s who attacked a hair salon employee and a customer with a knife has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The first criminal division of the Changwon District Court's Tongyeong branch, presided over by Judge Park Byung-min, on the 29th sentenced the defendant, identified as A, to 20 years in prison on a charge of attempted murder and ordered him to wear an electronic tracking device for 10 years.

A was indicted on charges of entering a hair salon in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, at about 11:25 a.m. on July 2 and attempting to kill a female employee in her 30s, identified as B, and a male customer in his 40s, identified as C, with a knife he had prepared in advance.

Investigators found that A obtained the knife at his home in Gwangju, Jeonnam, and traveled to the scene of the crime.

A claimed he committed the crime because he developed dermatitis after visiting the salon in the past. He also argued that he had no intent to kill and that he was drunk at the time and caused the disturbance without being aware of it, but the court rejected those claims.

"A prepared for the crime in a planned manner, buying the weapon in advance, observing the salon's business situation and then entering," the court said. "The attempt failed only because the victims restrained and resisted him, and by the good fortune that the knife grazed past their major organs."

The court also noted that A had a prior conviction for a similar offense, having stabbed a doctor with a knife because he believed a prescription had caused side effects.

"Given that he committed the crime again, it is difficult to find room for improvement," the court said. "The victims have suffered major disruption to their daily lives along with mental anguish and shock from the crime, but A has made no effort to repair the harm."