'​​Songpa Mother-in-Law Killer' Kim Seongwoo Transferred to Prosecutors in Custody on Oct. 20... Stalking Charge Added

Police determine the crime was motivated by revenge
Charges of retaliatory murder and retaliatory confinement applied
Additional charges include violations of the stalking law

Kim Seongwoo, 26, a social service worker suspected of murdering his mother-in-law and kidnapping his wife in Songpa-gu, Seoul, was transferred to the Prosecution Office. The transfer came one day after the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency decided to disclose his personal information.

The identity of Kim Seongwoo, 26, the suspect in the murder of his mother-in-law and kidnapping of his wife in Songpa-gu, Seoul, was released on the 19th. Yonhap News

On October 20, the Seoul Songpa Police Station said it had transferred Kim to the Seoul Eastern District Prosecution Office under arrest on suspicion of retaliatory murder and retaliatory confinement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, special assault, and violations of the Stalking Punishment Act, among other charges. The police decided to disclose the suspect's personal information the previous day.

According to police, at around 5:35 a.m. on October 11, Kim went to his in-laws' home in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and allegedly stabbed and killed his mother-in-law, who was in her 50s, as she tried to stop him from forcibly taking his wife away.

Kim is also suspected of threatening his wife, who is in her 20s, with a knife, forcing her into a vehicle, and driving her to a wooded hillside in Yangyang County, Gangwon Province, where he confined her. He allegedly kept a knife with him in the car and struck her in the face several times. While fleeing, he also struck a patrol car pursuing him, injuring two police officers, each of whom required two weeks of treatment.

Police determined that the crime was committed for retaliatory purposes. They took into account the following factors: Kim loitered near his wife's family home and monitored her movements after filing a lawsuit to annul their marriage; he postponed a police interview scheduled for October 10 and committed the crime the following day; he attacked his mother-in-law indiscriminately; and, while fleeing after kidnapping his wife, he made remarks expressing ill will toward her family. In his initial police interview, Kim claimed, in essence, that “the killing was impulsive” and that he “only wanted to talk” when he confined his wife.

Police added charges against Kim, including violations of the Stalking Punishment Act and the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Crimes of Domestic Violence. An analysis of CCTV footage near the victims' homes showed that Kim approached their residences about 18 times between September 16 and October 11, engaging in stalking. Police also took into account that, despite temporary measures barring him from approaching the victims from August 22 through September 30, he went within 100 meters of their homes nine times, violating the order.

Kim registered his marriage to his wife in February and began living separately from her in August. In August, his wife reported him to police on suspicion of assault and subsequently filed a request for divorce mediation with the court, which she later withdrew. She is currently pursuing a lawsuit to annul the marriage.

A police official said, “We will continue to investigate related cases after the transfer and work closely with the Prosecution Office to respond firmly to violent crimes,” adding, “We will also do everything possible to protect and support the victims and their families.”

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