Family of air-conditioner technician killed by tenant urges harsh punishment, rejects self-defense claim

The family and colleagues of a man in his 60s who was stabbed to death by a tenant while installing an air conditioner in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, have called for the harshest possible punishment for the attacker, saying it was "a one-sided murder." The victim's family rebuffed the suspect's self-defense claim as false.

The wife of the victim, identified only as A, 69, said Wednesday that her husband "was not killed in the course of an argument or physical altercation with the suspect, as was initially reported — he was murdered unilaterally." She cried out that the suspect's self-defense claim "is simply not true."

A was stabbed and killed on the afternoon of July 3 while installing an air conditioner at a multi-unit residential building in Cheonan. The attacker, a tenant in his 50s identified as B, stabbed him with a bladed weapon.

A colleague who was present at the scene said B subjected the two technicians to a barrage of verbal abuse and insults for roughly 15 to 20 minutes from the moment they entered the unit, continuing until he picked up the weapon.

According to the colleague, when A and his coworker tried to stop work and leave in response to the ongoing harassment, B suddenly demanded they clean the floor. When A refused, saying he had not dirtied it, the situation rapidly escalated.

"B had already been in a dispute with the landlord that day over the air-conditioner installation," the colleague told Yonhap. "The moment we arrived, he kept picking fights with us. The place was already messy to begin with, and we hadn't even unwrapped the air conditioner yet — there was no work done that could have dirtied the floor."

B then ran to the kitchen near the front door, retrieved a bladed weapon and stabbed A three times in the chest and abdomen, the colleague said.

The colleague added that while A did swing a tool he was carrying after being stabbed, it was closer to a defensive act to ward off further attack, and that there had been no argument or physical fight that could have provoked the incident.

The colleague gave consistent testimony to the same effect during witness interviews with both police and prosecutors.

B, by contrast, has repeatedly told investigators that A attacked him first and that he acted in self-defense.

Police, however, determined that B's account lacked credibility based on forensic examination of the scene and blood spatter analysis, and referred the case to prosecutors.

The family has repeatedly urged investigators to conduct a thorough probe so that the perpetrator receives punishment commensurate with his crime.

A had worked as a freelance air-conditioner technician well into his late 60s to support his family. He cared for a daughter in her mid-30s with the cognitive ability of a 4-year-old and a wife who has been battling colon cancer for a decade.

A devout man of faith, he found his greatest joy in attending church every Sunday despite his demanding work schedule, and was said to have cherished both his daughter, who lived with him, and his son, who had moved out on his own.

"Committing murder and then claiming self-defense is an insult to a man who devoted his entire life to his faith, and an unforgivable affront to the family members who are living through hell every single day," one family member said. "Please help ensure the perpetrator receives the severest punishment possible."

The case has drawn wide public attention, as a worker was killed by a customer's violence while performing his duties. Experts say the repeated occurrence of violence against in-home service workers underscores the need for stronger on-site safety measures, strict legal accountability for perpetrators and protective mechanisms that allow workers to respond to dangerous situations.