![The father of the victim in the "Japanese sword murder case" speaks to reporters outside Seoul Western District Court on Thursday last year, ahead of the sentencing of the suspect's father on charges of defaming his son's memory. The court handed down a one-year prison term, suspended for two years. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/27/rcv.YNA.20250827.PYH2025082707810001300_P1.jpg)
The father of the man who killed a neighbor with a Japanese sword in Seoul's Eunpyeong-gu in July 2024 has received a suspended prison sentence on appeal for repeatedly defaming the victim online.
Seoul Western District Court's Criminal Division 2-3, presided over by Judges Lee Dong-sik, Jeong Seong-gyun and Lee Hyeon-woo, upheld Thursday a lower court's sentence of one year in prison, suspended for two years, against a 70-year-old man surnamed Baek, who was indicted on charges of defaming the deceased. The prosecution argued the sentence was too lenient; Baek claimed he had no intent to defame. The court rejected both appeals.
Baek is accused of posting comments online on 23 separate occasions between August and September 2024, claiming that the victim — killed by his son — was a "Chinese spy."
Baek's son attacked a neighbor with a 102-centimeter blade at an apartment in Eunpyeong-gu in July 2024. Convicted of murder and other charges, he was sentenced to life in prison by the Supreme Court last October and is currently serving his term. Investigators found that Baek's son, who had quit his job and was living alone, carried out the attack under the delusion that "Chinese spies were trying to start a war against South Korea."
The trial court found that Baek had specifically implied false facts that damaged the victim's social reputation. However, it issued a suspended sentence, citing factors including that the content was so far-fetched that readers were unlikely to have taken it at face value.
kido@heraldcorp.com
