Man who killed mother-in-law amid divorce dispute faces detention ruling

A social service worker identified only as Kim, 26, who allegedly killed his mother-in-law and abducted his wife while a marriage nullification suit was underway, faced a detention hearing Tuesday. Kim arrived at court with his gaze lowered and walked inside without answering reporters' questions, including whether his wife's marriage registration had been filed without her consent.

Seoul Eastern District Court Judge Seo Beom-jun, who handles warrant reviews, opened the pre-arrest detention hearing for Kim at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Kim faces charges of killing a lineal relative and aggravated unlawful confinement.

Kim appeared outside the courthouse at around 2:07 p.m. wearing a brown hat and a face mask, his head bowed, and entered without responding to any questions. Reporters asked why he had killed his mother-in-law, whether the attack had been premeditated, whether he had intended to harm other family members, whether the marriage registration had been filed without consent, and whether he had used a private investigator to track his wife. Kim answered none of them.

Kim is accused of stabbing his mother-in-law, a woman in her 50s, with a bladed weapon at around 5:40 a.m. Sunday in a residential area of Munjeong-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, then forcing his wife, a woman in her 20s, into a vehicle and fleeing. Police pursued him and arrested him the same day at a mountain in Gangwon Province. His wife was found unharmed.

Kim had previously been subject to a restraining order barring him from approaching his wife within 100 meters or contacting her by phone, text or other electronic means, issued following domestic violence. That order expired Sept. 30, and police did not apply to the court for a renewal until Oct. 6. The attack occurred before the court had issued a new ruling.

The Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency has launched an internal audit to examine whether the Gwonseon Police Station in Suwon, which had been investigating Kim on domestic violence charges, properly monitored Kim and the victim. A ruling on whether to detain Kim is expected as early as Tuesday evening.