Woman in Her 20s Who Gave 'Drugged Drinks' to Two Men Found Dead in Gangbuk District Says She 'Only Meant to Put Them to Sleep'

[Financial News] Two men in their 20s were found dead on separate occasions at a motel in Gangbuk District in Seoul, and a woman in her 20s suspected of causing their deaths is claiming she had no intention of killing them. Police plan to determine through further investigation whether to apply murder charges.
Seoul Gangbuk Police Station announced at a briefing on the morning of the 12th about the so-called 'Gangbuk motel serial killing case' that they had obtained this statement from a woman in her 20s, identified only by her surname A, who is under investigation on charges of causing bodily injury resulting in death and violating the Narcotics Control Act.
From December last year to February this year, A is suspected of giving drinks mixed with medication to three men in their 20s in areas including Gangbuk District in Seoul and Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, causing the deaths of two of them and injuring one.
According to police, A insisted she did not intend to kill the victims. She claimed that after conflicts arose, she put medication she normally takes into the drinks to make them fall asleep. However, police are investigating the possibility that the crimes were premeditated, noting that A prepared the drugged drinks at home before meeting the victims. They are also considering having her undergo a psychopathy assessment.
Investigators have determined that the victims either were in a relationship with A or had met her once or twice. Police found that at around 11:20 p.m. on December 14 last year, A met a man in his early 20s, identified as B, who suffered injuries, at a café in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. The two were dating at the time, and A allegedly handed B a drink containing medication in a parked car, telling him it was a fatigue-relief tonic. B temporarily lost consciousness but is currently not in life-threatening condition.
The other two victims were found dead on January 28 and February 9, respectively, at motels in Gangbuk District after drinking beverages A had given them. In police questioning, A stated that she had them drink the same hangover-relief beverage into which she had mixed medication. Both men were intoxicated at the time of death and are believed to have met A in public places such as bars. After leaving the motels alone, A did not contact the victims, and she has claimed that until her arrest she did not know they had died.
The exact type and dosage of the drugs used in the crimes have not yet been identified. A had a history of mental illness and is believed to have obtained the medication through normal medical channels. She reportedly told police that, compared with B, she gave the two deceased victims more than twice the amount of the drugs. Police found a large quantity of medication at A's residence on the 10th and plan to continue the investigation based on analysis results from the National Forensic Service (NFS). Autopsies are also being conducted on the two deceased victims. Police will consider whether to apply murder charges after additional investigative work, including criminal profiling.
Police applied for an arrest warrant for A on the 11th, and the Seoul Northern District Court held a pretrial detention hearing starting at around 10:30 a.m. that day. Wearing a cap pulled low and a mask, A arrived at the court but entered the courtroom without answering reporters' questions such as whether she had intended to kill the victims, whether she had prepared the drugs in advance, and why she had given them the drugged drinks. The court is expected to decide on the warrant as early as this afternoon.
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter