Park Hak-seon (65), who is accused of stabbing and killing a mother and daughter with a weapon in an officetel in Seoul, has been brought to trial while in custody.
'Gangnam Officetel Mother-Daughter Murderer' 65-year-old Park Hak-seon (Photo by Police) [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 25th, the Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Soon-ho) announced that Park was indicted on murder charges while in custody. Following the implementation of the so-called 'mugshot disclosure law,' which allows investigative agencies to disclose the identity of suspects in serious crimes without their consent, Park's identity was made public by the police on the 4th.
Park is accused of stabbing and killing a mother and daughter, a woman in her 60s, A, and a woman in her 30s, B, at an officetel in Sodae, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 30th of last month.
According to the prosecution's investigation, Park, who was in a romantic relationship with the victim A, committed the crime after harboring resentment toward A's family, including her daughter B, who opposed his relationship with A. The crime was committed after A informed him of their breakup. Park fled immediately after the crime but was arrested by the police about half a day later.
Park claimed the crime was impulsive, but the prosecution, through supplementary investigations including phone recording files, detailed analysis of crime scene footage (CCTV), and on-site verification, uncovered evidence that Park frequently verbally abused A and threatened to kill her. In particular, the prosecution confirmed that on the day of the crime, Park took A's mobile phone to prevent her from contacting her daughter B, and immediately upon arriving at the office, used a kitchen knife present at the scene to stab B. This led the prosecution to conclude that Park had planned the crime in advance.
A prosecution official stated, "We will do our best to maintain the prosecution so that the defendant receives a severe sentence commensurate with the crime, and we will also make every effort to support the victims' families."
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