'The "Three Women Murder" Case: Kim Taehyun Was Not a Psychopath'

Suspect Kim Taehyun, accused of breaking into an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, and killing three women of a family, is revealing his face on the 9th at Dobong Police Station in Seoul before being sent to the prosecution. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Kim Tae-hyun (25), the suspect who killed three women in an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, has been concluded not to be a 'psychopath.'

On the 20th, according to the police, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency analyzed the circumstances before and after Kim's crime and his criminal psychology, reaching this conclusion. The police stated, "Although some traits such as antisocial behavior appeared in the psychopath diagnosis, it does not reach the level to diagnose him as a psychopath."

Since the 8th, the police deployed four profilers to interview Kim and analyzed his psychopath tendencies based on the materials. They made this judgment and plan to deliver the analysis results to the prosecution as well.

The psychopath tendency analysis uses the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). This list consists of 20 items designed to evaluate the nature of a psychopath, including guilt, lack of empathy, and impulsivity. Each item is scored from 0 to 2 points, with a total score ranging from 0 to 40. For each item, 'not at all' scores 0 points, 'somewhat' scores 1 point, and 'definitely' scores 2 points. In South Korea, a total score of 25 or higher classifies a person as a psychopath.

Kim was sent to the prosecution on the 9th under arrest on charges of killing three women at an apartment in Junggye-dong, Nowon-gu, on the 23rd of last month. He is currently detained at Dongbu Detention Center. The prosecution, considering further review of the case records necessary, obtained the court's permission to extend his detention period by ten days. Originally, Kim's detention period was until the 18th.