On August 7, the Daegu District Court convicted Choi Sang-yeol, operator of train 1080, and Choi Jeong-hwan, operator of train 1079, sentencing them to prison for five and four years respectively for criminal negligence. Kim Dae-han was convicted of arson and homicide. Although prosecutors had pushed for the death penalty, which was also supported by victims' families, the court instead sentenced him to life imprisonment on account of his remorse and mental instability. Kim died of a chronic illness in prison on August 31, 2004, in the city of Jinju, where he had been receiving medical treatment.