'Songpa Mother-in-Law Killer' Kim Seongwoo Indicted While Detained; Ankle Monitor Order Sought

Private investigator surveillance and advance weapon purchase confirmed
Concluded it was retaliatory murder, not an impulsive crime
Committed the crime out of resentment over his wife's domestic violence report

Kim Seongwoo, 26, who is accused of killing his mother-in-law and kidnapping his wife in Seoul's Songpa-gu, was indicted while in detention.

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

The Seoul Eastern District Public Prosecutors' Office's Criminal Division 3, headed by Chief Prosecutor Moon Ha-kyung, said on November 6 that it had indicted Kim while in detention on charges including retaliatory murder and retaliatory confinement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, as well as violations of the Stalking Punishment Act. It also requested a court order requiring him to wear an electronic tracking device, or ankle monitor.

According to the prosecutors' office, Kim was indicted on charges of going to his in-laws' home in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the morning of October 11, stabbing his mother-in-law, who was in her 50s, to death, and forcing his wife into a vehicle and kidnapping her. He is also accused of approaching the victim's residence nine times and stalking her on 18 occasions from September through October, in violation of a court's temporary restraining order.

Following a supplementary investigation, prosecutors concluded that the crime was a premeditated act of retaliation. After reviewing an investigation of a private investigation agency employee, CCTV footage and internet search records, they determined that Kim had not killed his mother-in-law on impulse, but had acted in retaliation for his wife's report of domestic violence.

Before the crime, Kim had his victims' movements followed by an employee of a private investigation agency. On September 2, he hired the agency to find out his wife's address and track the movements of her family members. He also used internet searches to learn his mother-in-law's personal information in advance. On September 21, he bought a weapon at a store near his in-laws' home, intending to use it in the crime, and kept it with him until the attack.

CCTV footage captured just before the crime shows Kim swinging the weapon as soon as he approached his mother-in-law. Investigators also confirmed that although Kim had sent his wife an apology message, he harbored resentment after she told police that she had suffered domestic violence.

A representative of the prosecutors' office said, "We have spoken with the victim's family to hear their concerns and taken steps to provide additional support, including assistance with housing. We will do our utmost to maintain the prosecution so that the defendant receives a severe sentence commensurate with his crime."

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