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A South Korean court meted out a harsh sentence to Kim Ki-jong, 56, the man who stabbed Mark Lippert, US ambassador to South Korea, this past March. Kim is the head of a group called Woori Madang.

Kim was convicted of most of the charges against him, including attempted murder, but he was cleared of violating the National Security Law, a charge that the prosecutors had tacked on later.

On Sep. 11, Hon. Kim Dong-ah, presiding over the 25th criminal division of the Seoul Central District Court, sentenced Kim Ki-jong to 12 years in prison.

“At the least, Kim was aware that his actions could cause the victim to die. Considering the parts of the body he attacked, the repetition of those attacks, and the degree of damage, murder was intended, at least in the sense of willful negligence,” the court ruled.

“Since this was the first time that a foreign dignitary sent to South Korea had suffered a serious assault, it was a major shock not only for South Korea but also for the whole world. A firm consensus has taken shape in South Korean society that it is no longer acceptable for individuals or groups to use inappropriate violence as the means to some end. This incident constituted a brazen assault on the precious social order and culture that we have been carefully building,” the judge said by way of explaining the severe sentence.

The court cleared Kim of the charge that he had committed the crime because of his sympathy for North Korean arguments, which would have constituted a violation of the “praise and incitement” clause of the National Security Law.

“While this may have coincided with foreign policy espoused by North Korea, it doesn’t mean that it should be seen as the same as advocating the Juche Idea or nuclear tests, which would directly threaten the survival of the state. It can be the subject of debate in South Korea, where the freedom of thought is guaranteed, and in fact it has been consistently raised by certain parts of the academy and civic society,” the court said.

The court concluded that, though Kim’s actions had the potential of damaging South Korea’s relations with the US, it would be a logical leap to view this as a real threat to the survival of the state.

After the verdict was read, the prosecutors expressed their disagreement with the court on its rejection of the charge of violating the National Security Law and announced their plans to appeal both the not guilty verdict and the sentence.

Kim’s lawyer, Hwang Sang-hyeon, also said that he would appeal. “The court made the wrong decision in regard to the sentence and the charge of attempted murder,” Hwang said.

By Seo Young-ji, staff reporter

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