By Yun Suh-young
Korean-Chinese immigrant worker Wu Yuanchun, sentenced to death Friday for murdering a 28-year-old woman in Suwon in April, has filed an appeal, the court said Tuesday.
The Suwon District Court said Wu submitted a one-page petition of appeal to the court saying that he considers the death sentence unacceptable.
The court handed down its verdict to the 42-year-old for abducting the woman, killing her and cutting her corpse into 356 pieces. It said he deserved capital punishment since his crime was horrendous and seemed to be premeditated because he had a detailed plan, adding that he showed no signs of remorse.
The victim’s family has alleged Wu committed the crime as part of a ring trafficking human body parts, although no evidence to support this has been found.
“The defendant had purposes other than rape from the beginning and showed no sign of regret afterwards. Although capital punishment is a cruel sentence that takes away a human life, it is necessary that he be held responsible for his crime correspondingly,” the court said.
Wu was also ordered to wear an electronic anklet for 30 years and his personal information to be made public for 10 years.
In response to Wu’s appeal, the prosecution is also considering whether to make a counter-appeal.
The public are reacting furiously to Wu’s appeal, criticizing him for wanting to extend his life.
“I’ve never seen a murderer so confidently making an appeal. I think he’s numb to what he’s done,” said a Twitter user.
Others said it could be an opportunity to investigate the case further.
“Maybe the appeal could give an opportunity for the prosecution to conduct an extended investigation and seek the truth. I hope they find out what the real intent behind Wu’s murder was and make it public. This is a question of people’s safety,” said a blogger.