The fact that the oldest inmate on death row in the country died while serving a sentence was reported late on the 29th.
According to the Ministry of Justice and others on the 29th, Oh Jong-geun, known for the so-called "Boseong fisherman murder case," died last year while serving a sentence at the age of 87 at Gwangju Prison.
Oh Jong-geun, who was a fisherman, was sentenced to death for the serial murder and sexual assault of four tourists. In August 2007, he killed two male and female college students who asked him for a boat ride in Boseong, Jeollanam-do, and, about 20 days later, he again killed two women in their 20s after taking them on his boat. His murders could have been buried, but they were uncovered after the bodies of four individuals were discovered at sea.
The investigation revealed that Oh Jong-geun committed these crimes after deciding to assault the women while they were at sea with no escape route.
The prosecution sought the death penalty for Oh Jong-geun in court, and the first trial accepted this and sentenced him to death. In response, Oh Jong-geun requested the court to review the constitutionality of the death penalty during the appeal process. However, the Constitutional Court ruled 5 to 4 that it was not unconstitutional, thus making a decision to uphold the death penalty.
After the Supreme Court confirmed the death penalty in June of the same year, Oh Jong-geun was recorded as the oldest inmate on death row in the country.