A man in his 20s who killed three women stalked them and disguised himself as a 'delivery worker' to break in... Citizens express outrage, calling it "malicious"

Chronic Stalking and Home Intrusion Disguised as 'Delivery Worker'
"How Could the Victim Have Lived in Pain for Months?" Public Outrage

The apartment site in Nowon-gu where the mother and her two daughters were murdered on the 26th of last month. / Photo by Yonhap News TV capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A man in his 20s who brutally murdered three women from the same family in an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul has been arrested. In particular, public outrage is growing as it was revealed that the suspect had been persistently stalking the eldest daughter among the victims and disguised himself as a delivery worker to break into the home and commit the crime. There are calls to strengthen penalties for stalking crimes, which have been considered too lenient compared to the severity of the offenses.

According to media reports on the 4th, the suspect A in the so-called 'Nowon three women murder case' was detained on the same day. After completing the pre-trial detention hearing at the Seoul Northern District Court in Dobong-gu, Seoul, A reportedly remained silent when reporters asked questions such as "Did you plan to kill all your family members?" and "Do you have any message for the bereaved family?" while boarding the transport vehicle.

The victims, a mother and her two daughters, were found dead around 9 p.m. on the 25th of last month in an apartment in Nowon-gu. At the scene, A attempted self-harm and was found severely injured. He was subsequently transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and is currently under police investigation.

A is accused of breaking into the apartment disguised as a delivery worker two days before the victims were found dead, on the 23rd of last month, and consecutively murdering B’s younger sister, mother, and B herself.

Mr. A met the older daughter among the victim's mother and daughter through an online game, but after being rejected when he asked for a relationship, he harbored resentment and committed the crime. / Photo by Asia Economy DB

A reportedly met B, the eldest daughter among the victims, while playing an online game. After A unilaterally demanded a relationship and was rejected, he harbored resentment and committed the crime.

Especially, according to testimonies from B’s acquaintances, A had been habitually stalking and harassing B since January. Due to A’s persistent stalking, B reportedly changed her phone number and sometimes took longer routes to return home.

Given these circumstances, citizens are expressing outrage. There are demands for severe punishment for A, who not only harassed a woman over a long period but also took her life.

A female office worker in her 20s living in Seoul, Ms. An, said, "I can imagine how many months the victim must have lived in pain. The nature of the crime is extremely bad," adding, "He should be severely punished and his identity publicly disclosed to clearly show that stalking is never a minor crime."

A Blue House petition urging the disclosure of personal information of suspect A in the Nowon three mothers murder case. / Photo by Blue House petition board capture

There have also been calls for the public disclosure of A’s identity. On the 26th of last month, a post titled "Request to disclose the identity of the suspect, a man in his 20s, in the Nowon family triple murder case" was uploaded on the Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae) petition board.

The petitioner stated, "Women, who die by the dozens every day, are exposed to many crimes because they are considered 'relatively vulnerable,'" and emphasized, "Although articles about the 'Nowon three women murder case' are increasingly appearing, the world seems strangely quiet. It should not be quiet. It should not be overlooked." The petition has exceeded the 200,000 signatures required for an official response from the Blue House.

Meanwhile, on the 24th of last month, the National Assembly passed the "Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes" in a plenary session. This is 22 years after the bill was first proposed in 1999.

The key point of the bill is to classify stalking, which is currently considered a minor offense under existing law, as a crime punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. If dangerous tools such as weapons are used, the sentence is increased to up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.