Incheon Karaoke Guest Murder for KRW 80,000 in 2021

 On April 22, 2021, an incident in Sinpo-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon, occurred when a karaoke owner named Heo Min-woo, a local gangster, killed the victim, Kim. Heo Min-woo got angry and beat Kim to death with his fist and foot while arguing with Kim in the process of asking for money for the drink.

According to a police investigation, Heo Min-woo asked Kim to pay 100,000 won in cash, but Kim paid only 20,000 won to state that the fight broke out. In the end, Heo Min-woo tried to get an additional 80,000 won, but a murder occurred.

Kim visited the karaoke room with one of his local juniors at 7:30 p.m. on April 21, the previous day, and paid 300,000 won in advance to Heo Min-woo to play at the karaoke room. The junior left the karaoke room at 10:30 p.m., and Kim was in a situation where he had to pay an additional 100,000 won for drinking after playing alone more.

Kim, who was short of cash, called 112 during a fight with Heo Min-woo and talked to the owner for a while after saying, "I couldn't pay for the drink." However, when Kim told the police, "I'll take care of it on my own," the police decided to cancel the report, hung up the phone, and did not go out.

The argument between the two lasted for hours, and Heo Min-woo beat Kim to death in a karaoke room on April 22. And Heo Min-woo brought a weapon from home, damaged the body in the karaoke bathroom, and stored it in a plastic bag. The body in the plastic bag was carried by Heo Min-woo in his car on April 24 and moved to Bupyeong-gu and dumped in a bushes in the middle of Cheolmasan Mountain.

The karaoke room was approved by the district office as an entertainment bar. However, in the second stage of social distancing of COVID-19, entertainment bars were subject to collective prohibition under the government's quarantine rules. Heo Min-woo violated quarantine rules and operated, and this behavior led to a brutal crime.

On May 17, 2021, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency decided to reveal Heo Min-woo's identity. According to released information, he was a member of a gang called Kkumangpa, and on January 30, 2020, he was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of probation for criminal activities, and reportedly committed crimes during probation.

Heo Min-woo was sent to the prosecution on May 21, 2021, and was arrested and indicted on May 28. He was assigned to the 13th Criminal Division of the Incheon District Court and pleaded guilty at a hearing held on June 25, 2021.

In the final trial held on August 11, 2021, the prosecution demanded a 30-year prison term for Heo Min-woo and requested a fine of 3 million won for violating quarantine rules (violation of the collective prohibition order) and attaching a location-tracking electronic anklet for 15 years.

On September 10, 2021, Heo Min-woo was sentenced to 30 years in prison in the first trial held at the 13th Criminal Division of the Incheon District Court (Chief Judge Ho Sung-ho), and a 10-year order to attach a location-tracking electronic anklet and a fine of KRW 3 million. Heo Min-woo filed an appeal against this ruling, and the prosecution also appealed against it to prevent a reduction in sentence.

Heo Min-woo was sentenced to 30 years in prison and fined 3 million won and ordered to attach location tracking electronic devices for 10 years after the appeal was rejected in the second trial held on Dec. 23, 2021.

Since then, Heo Min-woo has not appealed, and his sentence has been confirmed.