A man in his 20s accused of killing his mother-in-law and fleeing with his wife in a vehicle has been arrested in Songpa-gu, Seoul.
Presiding Judge Seo Beom-jun of the Seoul Eastern District Court’s warrant division issued a detention warrant on the 13th for Kim, 26, who faces charges of filicide and special confinement. Judge Seo stated, “There are concerns about fleeing and destroying evidence,” as the reason for issuing the warrant.
Earlier, Kim arrived at the Eastern District Court around 2:07 p.m. wearing a brown cap and a white mask. He kept his head down while moving to the hearing. He did not respond to reporters’ questions, including “Why did you kill your mother-in-law?” “Did you plan the crime in advance?” “Is it true you forced a marriage registration?” “Did you stalk through a private investigator?” and “Do you have anything to say to the victim and her family?”
Kim is accused of stabbing his 50s mother-in-law with a knife in Munjeong-dong, Songpa-gu, on the 11th, then fleeing with his wife, Choi, 23.
The mother-in-law was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest but died. Kim was arrested by police around 12:35 p.m. the same day in a mountain area of Yangyang-gun, Gangwon Province, while fleeing with his wife.
According to police investigations, Kim largely admitted to the charges but claimed the act was impulsive. He reportedly stated that accumulated resentment during legal proceedings led to the crime and that he did not initially target his mother-in-law, making it an impulsive murder.
However, police are investigating the possibility of a premeditated crime, citing evidence such as Kim possessing other weapons besides the knife and statements from Choi. Police reportedly obtained a statement from Choi that while being confined in the vehicle, she heard her husband say, “I prepared the crime in advance.” Additionally, Choi’s side informed police that Kim had spent tens of millions of won to hire a private investigator.
Songpa Police Station, which has secured Kim’s custody, plans to investigate the exact circumstances of the crime.
Leave a Reply