Suspect in mother-in-law killing recruited women for hostess bar while on social service duty

Kim, a 26-year-old social service worker accused of killing his mother-in-law and abducting his wife, is believed to have recruited women to work at a hostess bar even while on duty. An acquaintance who knew Kim said he showed signs of obsessive behavior toward his girlfriend and was involved in the entertainment industry and illegal gambling.

A job listing believed to have been posted in March advertised for female workers at an entertainment venue and listed Kim as the hiring contact, including his mobile phone number. That number is currently switched off.

The listing, believed to have been posted by Kim, sought female workers for a hostess bar in Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. It promised to help recruits "communicate with the other women and support their work schedule," and included details on pay and transportation assistance.

The posting dates to a period when Kim was serving his social service duty at a welfare facility in Gunpo. He repeatedly left his post without authorization, resulting in an extended service term. He was arrested as a social service worker after committing the crime while still on duty.

Kim's close ties to the entertainment industry were also confirmed by an acquaintance. A, 31, who said he had known Kim for about four years, said Kim began working at entertainment venues out of financial necessity. "There was a time when he urgently needed money because of his family's situation," A said. "That's how he started showing up at those places."

A added that the easy money available at host bars drew Kim deeper in. "You can make money easily at a host bar, so I think that's how he got into it," he said. "It seems like he met some rough characters there — that's probably where he learned about illegal gambling sites."

"People around him told him to do it, and he got sucked in," A said. He added that Kim had told him his debts ranged from 80 million won ($59,300) to around 120 million won.

A also offered his view on what may have motivated the crime. "Kim seemed to have an obsessive streak. His previous girlfriend had cheated on him, and I think that left a deep scar," he said. "I think he was terrified of losing his wife and became fixated on her."

A said he had been in contact with Kim shortly before the crime and had sensed something was wrong. "About a week before the incident, Kim was sharing a lot of posts about breakups and separation on social media," A said. "I was worried, so I reached out and asked if he had gotten a divorce." Kim replied only that everything was fine.

A said he had not thought much of it at the time, since Kim had complained about relationship troubles even when he was dating his wife before their marriage. Kim then went to find his wife, whose marriage nullification lawsuit was still pending, and killed her mother.

In the period leading up to the crime, Kim deleted his social media accounts and profile photos, A said. A also said Kim had suffered domestic violence at home due to conflict between his parents.

Police are reviewing whether to publicly disclose Kim's identity. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced Thursday that it plans to convene an identity disclosure review committee early next week to decide whether to release personal information on Kim, who faces charges of killing a blood relative and aggravated unlawful confinement.

Kim, who is currently in detention, is accused of stabbing his wife's mother, a woman in her 50s, with a weapon at a residential area in Munjeong-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, at around 5:38 a.m. Sunday, then forcing his wife, a woman in her 20s, into a vehicle and fleeing.

Kim had previously been under a restraining order stemming from domestic violence charges, barring him from coming within 100 meters of his wife or contacting her by phone, text or other electronic means. That order expired Sept. 30, and police did not reapply for an emergency protective measure until Oct. 6. The crime occurred before the court issued a ruling on that application.

Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency has launched an internal investigation into whether the Gwonseon Police Station in Suwon, which had handled the domestic violence case against Kim, properly monitored Kim and the victim.