Suspects in Mapo Officetel Confinement and Murder Case Charged with Retaliation under Special Act (Comprehensive)

Heavier Sentence Than Murder Due to Special Act Application
One Additional Suspect Who Assisted Crime Identified with Location in Daegu Provided...

B, who is accused of confining and murdering his friend A in an officetel in Mapo-gu, is attending a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing) held at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 15th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The police have decided to send two men who confined and subjected a man in his 20s to cruel treatment at an officetel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to the prosecution on charges of retaliatory crime under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Special Act). If the retaliatory crime charge under the Special Act is applied, the sentence is heavier than applying the murder charge under the Criminal Act.

At a briefing on the investigation results on the 21st, the Seoul Mapo Police Station stated that suspects An Mo (21) and Kim Mo (21) were charged with retaliatory crime under the Special Act, saying, "It has been recognized that from April 1 to the 13th of this month, they confined the victim at his residence and continuously inflicted assault, injury, and cruel acts, resulting in death," and "They bound the victim and left him in the bathroom, inflicting severe cruel acts that led to death."

The application of the Special Act was made as it was recognized that the suspects confined the victim at his residence and continuously inflicted assault, injury, and cruel acts, resulting in death. Under the Criminal Act, murder is punishable by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for five years or more, but under the Special Act, aggravated punishment for retaliatory crimes can impose death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for ten years or more. Applying the Special Act results in harsher punishment.

An Mo and Kim Mo were also charged with violations of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes including extortion for profit and violent acts. The police stated, "We secured evidence suggesting that the suspects were aware that the victim could die," and "We judged that there was indirect intent." They added, "Instead of charging with negligent homicide by confinement, we applied the murder charge, and since the retaliatory purpose was recognized, the charge was changed to the Special Act." The police also booked another high school classmate B, who helped the suspects by providing information about A’s movements, without detention and plan to send him to prosecution along with An and Kim.

According to the police, the two suspects were middle school and university classmates and started living together in an officetel in Gangnam, Seoul, since June last year. A, who lived in a provincial area, was a high school classmate of one of the suspects and appeared to have frequently visited the officetel where they lived since July last year.

Later, when victim A was voluntarily accompanied to the Yangjae Police Box in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on November 4 last year, a police officer who noticed signs of assault on A’s body contacted A’s father and handed him over directly. Subsequently, on November 8, A’s father filed a complaint at Dalseong Police Station in Daegu, and A appeared at the station on the 22nd of the same month, giving detailed testimony that he was beaten four times by the two men at an officetel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

The investigation into assault charges against the suspects began on January 24 this year with the preparation of interrogation records. After being accused of assault, An and Kim took the victim to Seoul on March 31 with the intent of retaliation and extortion, confining him. At that time, the suspects intimidated A by saying, "Let's go to Seoul to work and pay off debts." It was reported that they demanded repair costs, claiming A had damaged a laptop.

They then coerced victim A (21) into signing a 'withdrawal of complaint' contract and made him send a text message to the police stating that he was withdrawing the complaint. It was also confirmed that they extorted about 6 million won by forcing small payments on A’s mobile phone and opening and selling phones under his name. Additionally, it was confirmed that they extorted 200,000 won earned from two days of daily labor at a logistics center between April 1 and May 31. One of the suspects accompanied the victim at the time, making it difficult for the victim to seek help from others.

Victim A was found dead naked at an officetel in Mapo-gu around 6 a.m. on the 13th. At the time of discovery, A was severely underweight at 34 kg due to malnutrition, with signs of binding and assault on his body.

The police requested an autopsy from the National Forensic Service, which verbally indicated that the underweight condition likely contributed to the death. It was reported that after moving to the officetel in Mapo-gu, the crime scene, with the suspects on June 1, the victim did not leave the house even once until he was found dead on the 13th.

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