"Permanent Removal from Society"… 'Gangbuk Drug Serial Murders' Kim Soyoung Sentenced to Life in First Trial (Comprehensive)

Court: "Defendant Could Have Foreseen and Accepted the Possibility of Death"
Not Guilty of Aggravated Assault for One Victim Due to Lack of Evidence

Kim Soyoung (20), who stood trial on charges of causing the deaths of two men and injuring four others by handing them drinks laced with drugs, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial.

Kim Soyoung, suspect in a series of motel murders in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul. Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office

On August 27, the Criminal Division 14 of the Seoul Northern District Court (Presiding Judge Oh Byunghee) sentenced Kim, who had been detained and indicted on charges including murder, aggravated assault, and violation of the Narcotics Control Act, to life imprisonment and ordered her to wear an electronic location-tracking device for 30 years. However, the court ruled not guilty on the charge of aggravated assault for one of the six victims.

The bench first addressed Kim’s claim that she “only intended to put the victims to sleep and did not expect death to occur.” The court stated that in the process of administering various drugs to multiple victims, Kim repeatedly engaged in conversations with ChatGPT, during which she became aware of the conditions under which the drugs could result in fatalities. Therefore, the court did not accept her assertion, holding that Kim could have sufficiently foreseen and accepted the possibility of death as a result for the victims.

The court also rejected Kim's argument that she handed out the drugs out of fear, triggered by recalling her experience as a victim of attempted sexual assault, and to prevent unwanted physical contact. The bench pointed out that based on chat records from KakaoTalk, there was no evidence of inappropriate or sexually violent behavior, nor did it appear that the victims were engaged in such acts. The claim that she only intended to make the victims briefly unconscious to defend herself was also not accepted. The court further noted that it was unclear whether Kim had actually suffered attempted sexual assault in the past.

Kim was found not guilty of aggravated assault regarding one of the six victims. The court explained, “No drugs were detected in the victim’s hair; after the victim lost consciousness, he was immediately taken to the hospital, where tests found no traces of sedatives. The victim also testified that he did not taste any bitterness when drinking the wine. These points are strikingly different from the other cases,” adding, “There is no evidence to prove that the defendant possessed drugs at the time or that she put drugs into the wine or other drinks."

Previously, at the final hearing held on August 18, prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Kim Soyoung. They also requested the attachment of an electronic monitoring device for 30 years and the forfeiture of confiscated items. Regarding this, the court stated, “A death sentence is an exceptional penalty, and there are no special circumstances justifying it for the individual crimes committed.”

Meanwhile, from December last year to February this year, Kim was arrested and indicted on charges of causing the deaths of two men and injuring four others by handing out drugged drinks to men in motels and other locations across Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, causing them to lose consciousness.

Immediately after the sentencing, the attorney for the victims’ families stated, “Since the sentence is one step lower than what the prosecution demanded, we will need to consider whether to appeal.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.