Suspect in subway restroom murder found to be victim's stalker, colleague

A man who was arrested on Thursday after allegedly killing a female subway attendant in the public restroom of a subway station in central Seoul was found to be a colleague of the victim who had been stalking the woman for years.

People leave condolence messages in front of the public toilet at Sindang Station on Line No. 2 Friday morning in remembrance of the victim. [YONHAP]

A man who was arrested on Thursday after allegedly killing a female subway attendant in the public restroom of a subway station in central Seoul was found to be a colleague of the victim who had been stalking the woman for years.

The police applied for a warrant against the man on charges of murder for killing the 20-something female subway attendant in the ladies’ restroom in Sindang Station on Line No. 2 at around 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Seoul Jungbu Police Station Thursday.

According to the police, the crime was premeditated, as the man had prepared a weapon and a shower cap, which he wore, before going to Sindang Station, where the woman worked.

The crime took place one day before the man’s court judgment on charges of stalking was to be made.

The man, an employee at Seoul Metro, used the company’s intranet to access the woman’s work schedule and waited for the woman in front of the bathrooms for about an hour and 10 minutes. Another person who was in the restroom when the crime occurred pressed the emergency bell after hearing the victim’s scream. The victim was moved to a hospital but later pronounced dead.

The police have confirmed that the victim requested an arrest warrant against the man last October for illegally filming her, and the police arrested him.

The Seoul Western District Court dismissed the case.

The woman was being protected under the personal protection system by the police last October due to this reason, which ended not long after as the victim did not extend the protection period for the man did not approach her anymore.

However, the stalking resumed and the victim sued the man once again on Jan. 27. The court was to proceed to a trial this time, which was scheduled for Sept. 15, the day after the woman was killed. The prosecutor’s demand was nine years of imprisonment.

According to the Seoul Metro, both the woman and the man started working at the company in 2018. The man had been suspended from his position since last October after he started being investigated. The police said the victim had received hundreds of coercive and threatening text messages.

“A total of 350 calls and text messages had been sent from the man since November 2019, when the victim first sued the man, until last October,” said an attorney for the victim.

The police presume the motive of the crime was resentment against the victim.

“If it becomes more evident that it was a retaliatory crime, the charge for violating the additional punishment law on specific crimes will be added,” said the police.

BY KIM NAM-YOUNG, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]