Voices calling for severe punishment of Kim Mo, a man in his 20s who broke into his ex-girlfriend's house in Geoje, Gyeongnam, assaulted her, and caused her death, are growing louder, and his personal information is spreading online.
On the 19th, Kim (20), who was booked on charges of assault leading to death, had his personal information shared on an online community. The post included Kim's name, birth year, and the high school he attended. In the graduation photo released with the post, Kim was wearing a suit with a jacket draped over his shoulder, sunglasses on, and a white stick in his mouth.
A photo circulating online of a man in his 20s from Geoje-si, Gyeongnam, who visited his ex-girlfriend's house and assaulted her violently, resulting in her death. [Photo by Online Community]
Under current law, it is illegal to disclose a suspect's personal information without proper legal procedures, but since the suspect is under investigation without detention and the victim died after nine days of hospital treatment, making the prosecution uncertain, public support for disclosing his identity is growing.
According to the police, Kim is accused of unlawfully entering the one-room apartment of his ex-girlfriend A (20) in Geoje, Gyeongnam, around 8 a.m. on the 1st, repeatedly punching her head and face, and strangling her, causing injuries.
A was diagnosed with traumatic subdural hemorrhage and other injuries requiring six weeks of treatment and was hospitalized, but died at 10:18 p.m. on the 10th due to high fever and sudden deterioration of her condition.
The police urgently arrested Kim the day after A's death, but the prosecution did not approve the urgent arrest, stating that the conditions requiring urgency were not met, so Kim is being investigated without detention.
According to JTBC's 'Incident Commander,' Kim and A were high school classmates who started dating in their second year. Kim and A broke up and got back together repeatedly over three years, during which 11 reports related to dating violence were filed. Due to Kim's violence, A was even provided with a smartwatch for a month starting July 2 last year.
Local women's organizations, including the Gyeongnam Women's Association, held a press conference in front of the Gyeongnam Police Agency on the 18th, demanding, "The police must clearly clarify the cause of the victim's death and arrest and investigate the stalking perpetrator."
These groups stated, "Kim frequently used violence even while dating A. A changed her phone number and social media accounts to avoid Kim's contact, but Kim quickly found her through friends, rendering these efforts useless."
At the press conference, A's mother, who attended, said, "The perpetrator who killed my daughter has not been detained and is still roaming the streets. My daughter was followed, assaulted, and tormented for years by this perpetrator, leading to her death. Even after her death, thinking about my daughter lying in the morgue without peace breaks my heart and makes it hard to breathe." She pleaded for a thorough investigation.
According to the bereaved family, Kim apologized to A's mother after the incident but has not contacted the family since A's death and is claiming 'medical malpractice.'
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