"Do You Want to Drink in the Room Since It's Delivery Only?"... Texts Reveal Psychopath Woman’s Method in Gangbuk Motel Serial Murders

"We have to get a room and eat"—Luring Victims to Lodging Establishments
Bereaved Families: "Her identity must be made public... Great pain due to lack of remorse"

A woman in her 20s, identified as Kim, who is suspected of murdering several men at motels in the Gangbuk district of Seoul, has been found to be a psychopath (antisocial personality disorder). Text messages showing how she lured victims to lodging establishments before the crimes have been released.

On March 4, the Gangbuk Police Station in Seoul announced that Kim, who has been detained on charges of causing the deaths of two men at a motel in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, was evaluated using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and was found to meet the criteria for psychopathy. The PCL-R is a test that assesses 20 personality traits of suspects, including callousness, impulsivity, lack of empathy, and irresponsibility. In Korea, a score of 25 or higher out of a total of 40 points is typically classified as psychopathic. It was reported that Kim exceeded this threshold.

KakaoTalk conversation between Kim, a man in his 20s and suspect in the 'Gangbuk Motel Serial Murder Case,' and one victim. Captured from YouTube kimwontv Kim Won.

Kim is accused of handing drinks laced with drugs to victims, including men in their 20s, at motels in the Suyu-dong area of Gangbuk-gu last month. According to the police investigation, from December last year until February 8 of this year, she made two men drink beverages mixed with benzodiazepine drugs, causing their deaths, and injured one other person.

Kim, who was detained and transferred to prosecutors on charges of murder on February 19, told police during questioning, "I carried around hangover drinks mixed with medication prescribed by a hospital," and added, "An argument broke out with the victim, so I gave him the hangover drink to put him to sleep. I did not know he would die."

"Shall we drink in the room?"... Inducing Victims to Meet at Lodging Establishments

Text messages exchanged between Kim and one of the victims related to the case have also been released. In a video posted on February 28 by YouTuber Kim Won, who has 710,000 subscribers, the messages provided by the bereaved family were revealed.

The messages show Kim suggesting a meeting to the victim, saying, "If it were in Seoul, I would go hang out," and "I know a good place. But it’s delivery only. Shall we drink in the room?" and "Since it’s delivery only, we have to get a room and eat there," thus trying to lure the victim to a lodging establishment. Some messages were marked as 'roaming outgoing,' raising the possibility that she used a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to conceal her identity.

A woman in her 20s, Kim, who is accused of causing the deaths of two men at a motel in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, is appearing at the Seoul Northern District Court on the 12th for the detention hearing. Photo by Yonhap News

Bereaved Families Request Disclosure of Suspect's Identity... "Great Pain Due to Lack of Remorse"

The families of the victims are requesting the disclosure of Kim's identity. In a petition for severe punishment released through lawyer Nam Eunho, one victim's older brother stated, "My younger brother, who was the youngest in the family and grew up loved and untroubled, returned as a cold corpse. The goodwill and trust my brother showed to the defendant were trampled by premeditated and cruel murder. It is extremely painful to see her continue using social media after the murder and even lie to investigative authorities after her arrest, showing no sign of remorse."

Petition for Severe Punishment from the Bereaved Family. Nam Eunho, Attorney at Law Office Vincent, Legal Representative of the Bereaved Family

He continued, "The act of taking chicken paid for with my already deceased younger brother’s card doesn’t even seem real--how could a human under the same sky do such a thing? Please understand the pain of an older brother who cannot even cry in front of parents grieving the loss of their beloved youngest child." He also urged, "Thoroughly investigate Kim's motive for murder and whether there are additional crimes, so that no suspicion remains."

Meanwhile, there have also been criticisms that the initial police investigation was inadequate. Nam Eunho, the legal representative of the bereaved families at Vincent Law Office, raised concerns about the initial police response in a statement released on March 3. Nam stated, "Although the police received a report of an assault case in early January and identified Kim as the prime suspect in early February, they did not immediately arrest her."

The prosecution is expected to convene a Personal Information Disclosure Review Committee to discuss whether to disclose Kim's identity. However, the specific schedule has not been made public.

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