Associates of private investigation agency linked to Kim Seong-woo, accused of killing his mother-in-law, booked; signs of premeditation include weapon preparation

[Financial News] Some associates of a private investigation agency linked to Kim Seong-woo (26), who is suspected of murdering his mother-in-law and confining his wife in Songpa-gu, Seoul, have been booked by police. Police confirmed that Kim paid the agency and are separately investigating whether its associates engaged in illegal activity. It has also emerged that Kim appears to have planned the crime, including by loitering near the victim’s home 18 times over about a month before the crime and buying a weapon in advance.
The Songpa Police Station in Seoul said on the 20th that it had transferred Kim Seong-woo in custody to the Seoul Eastern District Prosecution Office on charges including violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (retaliatory murder and retaliatory confinement), special assault, and the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes.
A police official told reporters that day that some associates of a private investigation agency linked to Kim had been booked and were being investigated separately as part of the probe. Police also confirmed that Kim paid the agency a certain amount and looked into the source of the funds, but did not disclose the specific amount or the agency’s role, saying the investigation was ongoing.
A police official explained, “There were statements from a suspect related to the private investigation agency, and some associates have been booked and are being questioned,” adding, “The agency itself is not illegal, so we are checking what the associates did and whether there was any illegal activity.”
Kim is understood to have admitted to the crime itself during police questioning while denying that it was premeditated or motivated by retaliation. However, based on evidence including his repeatedly loitering near the victim’s home and preparing a weapon in advance, police concluded that it was a planned retaliatory crime.
The police investigation found that Kim loitered near the victim’s home in Songpa-gu a total of 18 times over about a month, from the 16th of last month until the 11th, the day of the crime. Although he did not know the victim’s exact time of arrival home, investigators found that he waited near the residence after estimating the victim’s usual commuting hours.
Kim sometimes stayed near the residence from 1 to 5 a.m., or waited from 11 p.m. the previous day until 3 a.m. the next day.


It also emerged that the weapon used in the crime had been prepared in advance. Kim bought a paring knife on the 21st of last month, five days after he began loitering near the residence, and kept it in his vehicle until the crime. Kim claimed he bought it for self-defense, but police concluded that he had prepared the weapon to attack the victim.
A police official said, “We questioned him several times about why he bought the paring knife, but confirmed that the suspect’s explanation was untrue,” adding, “Taking into account the conversations he had with the victim and the evidence that he loitered near the residence, we concluded that he bought it to use against the victim.”
In particular, investigators found that Kim attacked his mother-in-law within just 1–3 seconds of spotting her on the day of the crime. Police considered this inconsistent with his claim that the crime was impulsive and applied charges of retaliatory murder and retaliatory confinement.
The limits of the effectiveness of no-contact orders also became clear. Kim violated the order nine times, but police were unable to identify the violations in real time.
On the day of the incident, Kim forcibly put his wife in a vehicle and drove away. The victim called 112 several times while being transported, and police responded after recognizing the coercive situation from the conversation they heard during the calls.
A police official explained, “Unlike an electronic ankle monitor, a temporary no-contact measure under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Crimes of Domestic Violence does not allow real-time location tracking,” adding, “Violations cannot be detected automatically unless the victim or someone else reports them.”
Police seized one laptop from Kim’s residence and analyzed its search history and records of website access, among other data, but did not disclose the specific findings.
[email protected] Lee Dong-hyeok Reporter