'Protection Order Woman Family Murder' Lee Seok-jun Sent to Prosecution... "Crime with Retaliation Intent" (Summary)

'Ex-Lover's Family Murder' Lee Seok-jun Transferred to Prosecution on 17th
Charged with 7 Counts Including Retaliatory Murder Under Special Act
Residents Watched as He Learned Door Code, Rang Doorbell, and Broke In
Private Investigator Who Gave Lee Seok-jun the Address Also Detained... Investigation Continues

'Personal Protection Female Family Murder' Lee Seok-jun Transferred to Prosecution on the 17th. Photo by Song Seung-yoon

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Lee Seok-jun (25), who is accused of visiting the home of a woman he previously dated and murdering her family, was handed over to the prosecution on the 17th.

Seoul Songpa Police Station applied seven charges against Lee, including retaliatory murder under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Special Act), attempted murder and murder preparation under the Criminal Act, property damage, and confinement, and sent him to the prosecution on the morning of the same day.

Lee, who had been detained at the Seoul Songpa Police Station detention center, appeared before the media for the first time as he was escorted to the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office that morning. When reporters asked, "Did you plan to kill from the beginning?" and "Do you have anything to say to the bereaved family?" he repeatedly said, "I'm sorry." When requested to remove his mask, he remained silent with his head bowed and only said, "I apologize for causing social unrest" before getting into the escort vehicle.

Lee was arrested on the 12th on suspicion of wielding a weapon against the mother and younger brother of Ms. A at a villa in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, where she lived, on the afternoon of the 10th. At the time, Ms. A's father, who was out, reported to the police that someone seemed to have entered the house, and the police arrived at the scene within about five minutes. Inside the house, Ms. A's mother and younger brother were found collapsed and bleeding; they were immediately taken to the hospital, but the mother eventually died. The younger brother, who suffered severe bleeding, was being treated in the intensive care unit and had regained consciousness. Lee broke into the second floor of a neighboring house, hid in the master bedroom wardrobe, and was arrested on the spot 20 minutes after the police arrived.

On the 14th, the police held a personal information disclosure review committee and released Lee's name, age, and photo. The police stated that the decision was made considering △ the serious damage caused by preparing a weapon in advance, killing one person at the victim's residence, and leaving another in critical condition △ Lee's confession to the crime △ sufficient evidence secured through on-site investigation and CCTV footage △ the preventive effect on similar crimes and concerns about secondary damage. Initially, the police charged Lee with murder, but changed the charge to retaliatory murder under the Special Act, considering the crime was committed as retaliation for being reported.

In earlier police investigations, Lee stated that he found out Ms. A's address by using a private investigation agency. Two days before the crime, on the 8th, he came to Seoul and searched the location he believed was Ms. A's address, but when it turned out to be incorrect, he requested address confirmation from the private investigation agency. The next day, on the 9th, after receiving the address from the agency, he returned to Seoul and stayed around Ms. A's house for a day before carrying out the crime on the 10th. At the time of the crime, Lee was observed checking the communal entrance door password by watching residents entering and exiting Ms. A's residence. He rang the doorbell, and the victim, who was on a call, inadvertently opened the door, allowing him to enter the house.

Before this crime, Lee was under police investigation for sexually assaulting and confining Ms. A. Initially, Ms. A's father reported to the police on the 6th that he could not contact Ms. A and suspected she was being confined. The police located Ms. A and Lee in Daegu. The police separated Ms. A and Lee, and Ms. A later testified to the police that she had been confined and sexually assaulted. However, due to conflicting statements between Ms. A and Lee, and because the police had Lee's residence and phone number and he agreed to voluntary accompaniment and phone submission, they judged there was no urgency to obtain an arrest warrant and did not arrest Lee. But four days later, Lee came to Seoul and committed the crime. After returning to Seoul, Ms. A visited the police station to request personal protection and was registered as a protection target, receiving a smartwatch. Although Ms. A was registered for protection, it appears she did not request protection for her family.

Lee testified during police investigation that he did not initially target Ms. A's family. However, the police believe Lee committed the crime out of resentment for being reported and as retaliation. Lee prepared weapons at his home before moving to the crime scene and possessed other tools besides the weapon used in the crime. Records show he searched the internet for private investigation agencies and door lock unlocking methods. The police conducted digital forensic work on Lee's phone and found stalking indications, but there was no evidence that Lee contacted the victim separately before this incident. It was also confirmed that Lee had no history of reporting stalking to the police.

The police involved profilers from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to conduct interviews and psychological tests on Lee. They plan to determine whether he is a psychopath through interview results such as the PCL-R (Psychopathy Checklist-Revised). It is expected to take more time before the results are available.

The police also arrested B, a man in his 30s who worked at the private investigation agency that provided Lee with the victim's address, at an undisclosed location in Gyeonggi Province. The Seoul Eastern District Court issued an arrest warrant for B the day before on charges including violation of the Personal Information Protection Act. Investigations revealed that B received 500,000 won from Lee in exchange for providing Ms. A's home address. It is known that B obtained personal information of at least 57 people, including Lee, for tens of thousands of won per person. During police questioning, B reportedly stated that he received Ms. A's personal information from a third party via Telegram chat. The police are questioning B about the specific crime process and how he obtained the information, while also tracking accomplices who provided him with the personal information. A police official said, "There is still much to investigate regarding the private investigation agency, and we plan to continue the investigation before sending the case to the prosecution. So far, there are no other specific suspects under investigation besides B."

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