'Gangbuk Motel Serial Murder' Victim's Side Claims "Kim Soyoung Says She Committed the Crime to Avoid Unwanted Physical Contact" (Comprehensive)

The Staggering Male Victim, Led Away
Accused of Handing Drug-Laced Drinks That Caused Deaths
Decision on Case Consolidation to Be Made at Next Hearing

During the trial of Kim Soyoung (20), the suspect in the 'Gangbuk Motel Serial Murders,' a video was released for the first time showing Kim dragging a man, who appeared to be under the influence of drugs, somewhere. The attorney representing the victim's side explained that Kim seemed to want to claim she had handed the drug-laced drink to protect herself from unwanted physical contact.

On May 7, the 14th Criminal Division of the Seoul Northern District Court (Presiding Judge Oh Byunghee) held the second hearing for Kim, who has been indicted on charges including murder. Kim appeared in court wearing a green prison uniform and did not make any particular statement.

After concluding a closed-door witness examination, the court played a closed-circuit television (CCTV) video in the courtroom as part of the evidence review. The footage showed Kim and a man, who appeared to be in a dazed state, boarding an elevator at a cafe in Namyangju. In the video, the male victim was unable to stand properly, staggering and being led by Kim. Kim was also seen showing her mobile phone to the man and seemingly having a conversation.

Suspect Kim Soyoung in the Gangbuk Motel Serial Murders. Yonhap News Agency.

The sight of Kim in this footage led to faint swearing from some in the courtroom gallery. The prosecution had prepared another video, but it could not be played due to technical issues.

Although the witness examination was conducted behind closed doors, Nam Eunho, the attorney representing the victim's side, posted about the examination process on his social media. According to Attorney Nam, when the court asked Kim if she had any questions for the victim, who was present as a witness, Kim replied that she wanted to ask whether the victim had ever physically touched her without consent in the past.

Attorney Nam added that it appeared Kim wanted to claim she handed the drug-laced drink to the victim in order to protect herself, recalling an instance of unwanted physical contact from the male victim.

Kim was indicted and detained in March on charges of handing drinks containing benzodiazepine drugs to three men in their 20s between mid-December last year and February this year, resulting in the deaths of two and causing the third to lose consciousness. On April 30, she was additionally indicted for injuring three other men using a similar method.

The court will decide at the next hearing whether to merge the two cases for a joint trial. The next hearing is scheduled for June 11 at 4:30 p.m.

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