Biological Father Who Killed 14-Year-Old Daughter with Blunt Object... Supreme Court Upholds 22-Year Sentence

Appeal court raises sentence from 18 years imposed at first trial
Supreme Court: "No obligation to reduce sentence for voluntary surrender"

A biological father who stood trial on charges of killing his 14-year-old daughter by striking her with a blunt object has been sentenced to 22 years in prison, a sentence that has now been finalized.

According to legal circles on October 15, the Supreme Court's Third Division, with Justice Eom Sang-pil presiding, rejected the appeal by Choi, who was indicted on charges of murder through child abuse, and upheld the lower court's 22-year prison sentence. The seven-year restriction on working at child-related institutions and the confiscation of the blunt object used in the crime were also upheld. The Supreme Court ruled, "Even after considering the various sentencing factors in the case record, the lower court's 22-year sentence cannot be considered seriously unfair."

The Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Choi was previously indicted on charges of beating his daughter dozens of times with his fists and feet and striking her head with a blunt object at their home in Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, at around 6 p.m. on October 19, 2025, killing her. After bringing his daughter back from China in 2022, where he had left her in the care of his parents, Choi had conflicts with her over her lifestyle and refusal to attend school. On the day of the crime, he became enraged when his daughter criticized her biological mother's parenting and reached toward her younger sibling. After sending his spouse and the younger child to another room, he beat his daughter with his fists and feet and struck her head several times with a blunt object, killing her. Investigators found that he continued the assault even as she tried to defend herself by covering her head with her hands. Choi turned himself in immediately after the crime.

The first trial sentenced Choi to 18 years in prison. It took into account that he had no prior convictions, that the biological mother did not want him punished, that he turned himself in immediately after the crime, confessed and showed remorse, and that the crime was somewhat impulsive. However, the second trial accepted the prosecution's appeal and increased the sentence to 22 years in prison. It found that the extremely brutal method used made it difficult to conclude that the impulsive nature of the crime substantially reduced its seriousness. It also found that Choi turned himself in only after his daughter had died, so his surrender did not help repair the harm or prevent her death.

The Supreme Court rejected Choi's claim that the lower court had acted unlawfully by not reducing his sentence for turning himself in. The court stated, "Even when a voluntary surrender is recognized, a court may only reduce or waive a sentence at its discretion," adding, "The lower court's failure to reduce the sentence for voluntary surrender cannot, by itself, be considered unlawful." 

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