A tragic case of domestic turmoil turned deadly in Ho Chi Minh City, where a South Korean man has been sentenced to death for the cold-blooded murder of his own father.
The shocking incident unfolded in March 2024, when Lim Young Kwon, a South Korean national residing in Vietnam, killed his father—who had flown in from Seoul to offer guidance amid rising tensions in the family.
According to the indictment, Lim lived with his Vietnamese wife, M., and their two children in an apartment in Tan Phu Ward, District 7. On March 10, after a heated argument, Lim physically assaulted his wife and killed the family dog in a fit of rage. Distressed, M. fled the apartment with their children and contacted her father-in-law, Lim J., in South Korea.
Concerned about his son’s violent behavior, the elder Lim traveled to Ho Chi Minh City three days later, hoping to de-escalate the situation. He stayed at the couple’s apartment and tried to counsel his son over beers that evening.
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But what began as a concerned father’s visit soon spiraled into a night of horror.
Later that night, after the two men had gone to bed in separate rooms, Lim Young Kwon—brooding over his father’s criticism—snapped. Convinced that his father had taken his wife’s side, he went to the kitchen, armed himself with a knife and a pair of scissors, and entered the bedroom where his father was sleeping.
What followed was a gruesome attack. Lim sat on his father and stabbed him repeatedly until the older man died from his injuries.
After the killing, Lim turned the knife on himself, slashing his hands and wrists before discarding the weapons off the balcony. He then left the apartment and collapsed on a grassy area within the apartment complex.
The next morning, security guards discovered Lim unconscious and covered in blood. After alerting local authorities, they entered the apartment with M., only to find the door unlocked and Lim J. dead inside.
Lim was immediately hospitalized and later taken into custody. After a trial that drew significant public attention, he was sentenced to death by a Vietnamese court.
The case has sent shockwaves through both the local and international communities, serving as a grim reminder of how unresolved domestic conflict can lead to unimaginable tragedy.
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Source: Vietnam Insider