Silent and Unresponsive Gangnam Abduction and Murder Trio... Murder Motive Remains a Mystery

Three suspects accused of kidnapping and murdering a woman in her 40s in the Gangnam district of Seoul remained silent when questioned about their motive for the killing.

Three suspects in their 40s involved in the kidnapping and murder of a woman in her 40s in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, are being transported by a police escort vehicle to the Seoul Central District Court for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing) on the morning of the 3rd at the Suseo Police Station in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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According to the police on the 3rd, at around 9:35 a.m. that day, Lee Mo (35, legal office employee), Hwang Mo (36, liquor store employee), and Yeon Mo (30), who are charged with robbery-murder and corpse abandonment, were transported from the Suseo Police Station in Seoul to the Seoul Central District Court for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). The warrant hearing was scheduled to take place around 11 a.m. that day.

Hwang, Yeon, and Lee appeared wearing dark hoodies with their faces covered, handcuffed together, and walked out in this state. When reporters asked questions such as "You said you targeted money and valuables, so why did you kill her?", "Are there any other accomplices?", and "Do you have anything to say to the victim’s bereaved family?", they remained silent and got into the transport vehicle.

Hwang and Yeon are accused of kidnapping a woman in her 40s, identified as A, at 11:46 p.m. on the 29th of last month and killing her the following day, while Lee is accused of instructing the crime. The victim was found dead in a mountain area near Daecheong Dam in Daejeon on the 31st of last month. It is known that they abandoned the body in the mountain area near Daecheong Dam immediately after killing the victim. There were no external injuries on the body, raising suspicion of death by suffocation. The police are also investigating the possibility of poison. The police arrested Yeon at Moran Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province at 10:45 a.m. on the 31st, Hwang at a lodging facility in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam at 1:15 p.m. the same day, and Lee in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul at 5:40 p.m. the same day.

Police lines have been set up in the hillside near Daecheongho Lake in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, where the victim's body was found on the 31st of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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The police are focusing on the possibility that this was a planned crime. Yeon testified during the investigation that he had been preparing for the crime for 2 to 3 months with a financial motive. It is also reported that they had identified the victim and prepared for the crime for 2 to 3 months. The crime was carried out swiftly. In front of the apartment complex in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, where the victim lived, Hwang and Yeon assaulted the victim by grabbing her hair as soon as they saw her and forced her into a Veloster vehicle within one minute. They then headed straight to Daejeon. Upon arriving in Daejeon, Hwang and Yeon abandoned the Veloster and switched to a rental car.

The reason for killing the victim immediately remains unclear. Although a financial motive was stated, it is known that they did not contact or threaten the victim’s family. Furthermore, Hwang and Yeon are believed to have killed the victim immediately after kidnapping her. During the police investigation, Hwang and Yeon stated that they had no prior acquaintance with the victim, drawing attention to the relationship between Lee and the victim.

However, Lee, who is identified as the key figure, remained silent during the police investigation. Lee, who is known to have designated the victim as the target and instructed the murder, has hired a lawyer and reportedly does not disclose specific details about his relationship with the victim or the motive for the crime. Moreover, Lee is said to deny not only participating in the crime but also the charges themselves.

The police stated that they are focusing their investigation on the motive for the crime as well as the possibility of additional accomplices. They also plan to investigate whether the victim’s family is connected to this case.

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