'Girlfriend Murder' Medical Student, "Support Opening Clinic, Let's Have a Baby First"... Family's Text Messages Revealed

Victim's Older Sister: "Gaslighting My Sister for Two Months"
"Father Hoped to Build a High-Rise Building in Gangnam"
"There Is Also Evidence of Forced Pregnancy Attempt"
"I Hope the Unrepentant Perpetrator and Their Parents Suffer Too"

A man in his 20s, Choi, a medical student accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death with a weapon on the rooftop of a building near Gangnam Station last May, is being transferred from the Seoul Seocho Police Station to the prosecution. Yonhap News

Choi Mo (25), a prestigious medical student who murdered his girlfriend near Gangnam Station in Seoul, was sentenced to 26 years in prison in the first trial, while the victim’s family urged for the death penalty and revealed the victim’s text messages from when she was alive.

On the 21st, the victim’s older sister, Ms. A, posted on an online community, stating, "I am going to disclose some parts of the case that have not been made public until now." The Instagram chat history of the victim that Ms. A revealed included content that Choi had registered their marriage under pressure to open a dermatology clinic using the deceased victim’s father’s assets. Ms. A claimed, "The perpetrator gaslighted my sister for two months in an extremely despicable manner," and added, "There is all evidence that he wanted my father to build a high-rise building in Gangnam and that the perpetrator tried to force pregnancy."

Ms. A expressed anger, saying, "Furthermore, the perpetrator threatened my sister, who was preparing to study abroad, that if she met another man while abroad, he would stab and kill her. On top of that, he put psychological pressure on my sister by staging a suicide show." She continued, "After my parents found out about the secret marriage registration, and when nothing went his way, on April 22, he unilaterally blocked all of my sister’s SNS accounts," and revealed, "My sister once reported to the police after being threatened by the perpetrator that he would distribute videos of their sexual relations."

Conversation history exchanged between the victim and a friend during their lifetime. Online community

Ms. A broke down in tears, saying, "I still cannot forget the day my sister’s belongings were returned. Not only were the clothes soaked in blood, but the bag was slashed in several places. I could tell how painfully she left this world." She appealed, "I hope the perpetrator and his parents, who shamelessly do not even apologize, suffer thousands of times more than the fear and pain my sister felt when she was murdered without knowing anything. I believe the perpetrator’s family should suffer the same. But realistically, since that cannot happen, I earnestly hope the court imposes the maximum sentence of the death penalty."

Choi was tried on charges of stabbing and killing his girlfriend, Ms. B, on the rooftop of a building near Gangnam Station in May. After starting their relationship in February with the victim, a middle school classmate, he secretly registered their marriage in April without the knowledge of Ms. B’s parents. When Ms. B’s parents filed a lawsuit to annul the marriage and the victim notified him of their breakup, Choi became enraged and committed the crime. At the court hearing, Ms. B’s father knelt before the judges, pleading, "Please sentence him to death so that the remaining victim’s family can be freed from pain and separation. Please prevent murderers from committing cruel crimes in public."

Meanwhile, the prosecution appealed after Choi was sentenced to 26 years in prison in the first trial. The prosecution stated, "Considering that the defendant stabbed the victim’s carotid artery dozens of times in a brutal manner and that the victim’s family is pleading for severe punishment, the original sentence of 26 years imprisonment is inappropriate," explaining the reason for the appeal. They also pointed out, "Despite the risk assessment indicating a risk of reoffending, the original court dismissed the request for electronic monitoring and probation on the grounds that it was unlikely the defendant would commit another murder," citing "a factual error and misinterpretation of the law."

Conversation history exchanged between the victim and a friend during their lifetime. Online community