A view of the Supreme Court in Seocho District, Seoul. Korea Times file

A teenager who fatally stabbed his mother after she scolded him has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum sentence for a juvenile offender. Although he claimed he was mentally impaired at the time of the crime, the court did not accept this argument.

The Supreme Court upheld Tuesday a previous ruling, sentencing the 15-year-old to 20 years in prison for the charge of murdering his parent.

The incident occurred on Oct. 1 last year in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, when the 15-year-old, then a second-year middle school student, stabbed his 47-year-old mother over 20 times in their apartment.

The 15-year-old had become irritated by noise from a nearby playground and even called the police to complain. His mother, observing her son's actions, scolded him, saying he was inconsiderate of others, especially since it was a holiday and people were visiting. This rebuke led him to lose control and commit the crime.

Investigations revealed that the 15-year-old harbored a long-standing resentment toward his mother, feeling she was unsupportive and overly critical of him.

After his arrest, he told family members, "Since I'm a juvenile, I won't get a criminal record," and questioned whether a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome or diminished mental capacity might reduce his sentence, according to the police.

However, at the initial trial in March, all nine jurors in the citizen-participation trial found the 15-year-old guilty, and the court handed down a 20-year prison sentence.

"Despite the challenging circumstances, the victim worked as a caregiver for the disabled, showing her son unconditional love. However, the defendant shows no remorse, and a severe punishment is warranted," the court said in the ruling. "There was no evidence of diminished mental capacity or impairment that would justify a reduced sentence."

The 15-year-old appealed the ruling, but both the appeals court and the Supreme Court upheld the original sentence, finalizing his 20-year prison term.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.