![Kim Dong-won, 42, the suspect in the Gwanak-gu stabbing that killed three people. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/22/9/news-p.v1.20251001.eba080898de049469bf563c1145688ce_P1.jpg)
The life sentence handed to Kim Dong-won, 42, for the fatal stabbing of three people at a pizza shop in Seoul's Gwanak-gu has been confirmed.
Legal sources said Monday that neither Kim nor prosecutors filed an appeal within the statutory period, making the appellate court's June 19 ruling final.
Kim was charged with killing three people — a franchise headquarters employee and a father-daughter pair from an interior design firm — at his pizza shop in Gwanak-gu's Jowon-dong in September last year, using a weapon he had hidden inside the store.
Kim had operated the franchise outlet since October 2023. Investigators found that he harbored a grudge after the franchisor and the interior contractor refused to repair defects free of charge, saying the warranty period had expired, and carried out the killings in retaliation.
On June 11, the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 3, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Seung-han, sentenced Kim to life in prison — the same sentence handed down at trial.
"Murder cannot be tolerated under any circumstances," the court said. "While Kim appears to have been under stress over the interior defects, the conclusion he reached — killing people — is one that cannot be understood by any common social standard, and cannot be regarded as a mitigating circumstance."
The court added that "the victims must have suffered intense pain, and the bereaved families appear to have endured severe psychological harm and anguish that will be difficult to recover from," and said it could not find the original sentence either too lenient or too harsh.
Prosecutors sought death penalty, citing 'sufficient risk of reoffending'
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Kim at the appellate trial as well.
"The method of the crime was extremely brutal, and he has shown no remorse before investigators after the act, leaving no apparent room for rehabilitation," prosecutors said. "We believe there is sufficient risk of reoffending."
Kim's defense attorney, in closing arguments, said "no words can serve as an excuse for committing the crimes in this case," but appealed for leniency, saying Kim "has been making every effort toward a deposit of compensation or a settlement, and is reflecting on his actions."
In his final statement, Kim said, "I am truly sorry to the victims and their families," and added, tearfully, that he would "spend the rest of my life in reflection and atonement."
At trial, the court sentenced Kim to life in prison, saying "the pain and fear the victims must have felt at the time of the crime appear to have been considerable, and he has not been forgiven by the bereaved families."
yul@heraldcorp.com
