Police name suspect in possible stalking murder case

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Monday revealed the identity of a suspect in the grisly murders of a mother and two adult daughters last month.

Kim Tae-hyun, 24, is accused of killing a woman whom he had allegedly stalked, her mother and younger sister at their home in northeastern Seoul on March 23.

The police held a committee meeting, comprising three internal officials and four outside experts, on Monday afternoon to conclude that the disclosure of the man’s personal information, including his photo and name, worked in the best interest of the public given the gravity of his crime and high public interest in the case.

The man “meticulously premeditated the crime” and “admitted to the killings,” and there is plenty of damning evidence against him, the committee said.

This photo shows Kim Tae-hyun, 24, the suspect in an alleged stalking murder case. (Yonhap)

According to police, Kim was caught at the scene sustaining self-inflicted, but not life-threatening, injuries on his neck, two days after the alleged murders.

Kim disguised himself as a delivery man to enter their home on March 23. At that time, only the younger sister was at home. After killing her, he waited for the other two to come home and stabbed them to death when they came.

He claimed that he got to know the woman through an online game and that he committed the killings out of a grudge as she would not meet him. Police suspect that he had stalked her for months before the murders and are investigating the case.

On Sunday, a court issued an arrest warrant for Kim, saying he was a flight risk and could destroy evidence.