Face and ID of man suspected of killing girlfriend revealed in first use of new mug shot law

Social Affairs

Published: 22 Apr. 2024, 17:54 Updated: 22 Apr. 2024, 17:58

Face and ID of man suspected of killing girlfriend revealed in first use of new mug shot law

A mug shot image of Kim Re-ah, who is accused for killing his girlfriend and severely injuring her mother, was post by the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office on its website on Monday. [SUWON DISTRICT PROSECUTORS' OFFICE]

Prosecutors revealed the face and identity of Kim Re-ah, who is charged with killing his girlfriend after she ended their relationship and severely injuring her mother last month.

This is the first case in which prosecutors have revealed a suspect’s personal identity and mug shot since the so-called mug shot disclosure act passed in the National Assembly last October and was implemented in January.

Kim, 26, is accused of stabbing his 21-year-old girlfriend in and around the chest with a weapon on March 25 in an officetel, or studio apartment, in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi.

The girlfriend was pronounced dead at the hospital.

He is also accused of attacking the girlfriend’s 46-year-old mother, who was there to protest Kim's violent behavior toward her daughter.

The daughter’s mother was severely injured and hospitalized for 10 weeks.

He is reported to have committed the crime after his girlfriend attempted to break up with him due to his violent behavior.

The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office posted Kim’s full name, age and mug shot on its website on Monday after he was indicted for murder and attempted murder on April 15.

Kim’s face and personal information will be disclosed until May 21.

Prosecutors decided to reveal Kim’s details after holding a committee meeting on April 5, given the brutality of the crime, the extent of the harm and the victim’s request to disclose the suspect’s information.

Prosecutors also believed the release of the information could help deter dating violence.

Kim asked a court to cancel disclosing his information, but Suwon District Court dismissed Kim’s appeal last Thursday.

The court said that disclosing Kim’s personal information was in the public interest, considering the serious harm Kim's act caused to the victims and society.

Kim’s disclosure is the first case since the Act on the Disclosure of Personal Information of Specific Serious Crime Suspects became effective on Jan. 25.

The so-called mug shot disclosure act broadened the range of suspects subject to disclosure from those charged with serious violent crimes or sexual assault, adding those who committed crimes such as child sexual abuse or drug crimes.

According to the new law, an investigative agency can take a suspect’s mug shot without their consent when necessary.

The mug shot should be taken within 30 days of the investigative agency's decision to disclose the suspect’s information.

The new law was established after complaints that the released images often differed from the suspects' actual faces.

This issue arose when Lee Ki-young, a 33-year-old man who murdered a taxi driver and his ex-girlfriend last year, and 33-year-old Jeon Joo-hwan, who murdered his female colleague at Sindang Station in 2022, stood in front of the camera.

Prosecutors added that they confirmed that Kim was strongly obsessed and possessive toward the victim, demonstrated violent tendencies and committed the crime when she tried to break up with him.

BY SON SUNG-BAE, KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]