Man who killed girlfriend after breakup had searched 'brain location,' 'skull structure' on phone

A man in his 20s charged with murdering his girlfriend after she broke up with him acknowledged all charges at his first trial hearing.

At the opening hearing Wednesday before the 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court, presided over by Judge Go Chung-jeong, the defendant's attorney said the defense acknowledged all charges when the court asked whether it accepted the indictment.

However, the defense asked the court to reject prosecutors' request for a probation order and electronic monitoring device attachment, arguing there was no risk of reoffending and that mitigating circumstances existed. Prosecutors had sought the measures citing a high risk of recidivism.

The defendant, identified only as A, works in telecommunications sales. He is accused of killing his girlfriend, also in her 20s, on June 1 in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, after an argument, using a frying pan, a bladed weapon and an electric cord.

At the time of the incident, A had been staying at his girlfriend's residence against her wishes.

According to prosecutors, A decided to carry out the attack because the victim, upon ending the relationship, did not show what he considered a sufficiently apologetic attitude.

A fled the scene immediately after the killing but later turned himself in at a police station in another district and was taken into emergency custody.

Prosecutors uncovered evidence of premeditation through a forensic examination of A's phone and indicted him in detention on June 26.

The phone's search history showed that before the attack A had looked up terms including "death from being hit in the head with a frying pan," "brain location" and "skull structure," and had visited a blog post titled "If you're hit in the head repeatedly… is the brain really OK?"

When prosecutors indicted A on June 26, they also filed a request for an electronic monitoring device attachment order.

A's next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26.