Suspect in rooftop murder is med student with perfect CSAT results, police say

Social Affairs

Published: 08 May. 2024, 15:45 Updated: 08 May. 2024, 19:07

Suspect in rooftop murder is med student with perfect CSAT results, police say

A medical school student alleged to have killed his girlfriend on a rooftop of a building walks into the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, for his arrest warrant hearing. [NEWS1]

Police filed an arrest warrant against a suspect for allegedly killing his girlfriend on the rooftop of a building early this week.

According to the Seocho Police Precinct, the 25-year-old suspect, surnamed Choi, is currently a student at a renowned medical school in Seoul after receiving a perfect score on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), a state-run college entrance exam widely perceived as one of the most critical tests for students in Korea.

Police investigate suspect for rooftop murder of girlfriend

Choi was arrested without a warrant on Tuesday on suspicion of killing his girlfriend and underwent police questioning the same day.

Choi was reported to have stabbed his girlfriend with a weapon several times on the rooftop of a 15-story building in Seocho District, southern Seoul, near Gangnam Station, a posh area always packed with people, at around 5 p.m. Monday.

The police tried to pull the suspect off the rooftop on Monday after receiving a report that the man was trying to jump off the building.

The victim was later found when the police revisited the site to retrieve Choi’s medicine bag from the rooftop. The victim was already dead when police discovered her.

The police said that Choi fatally pierced the girlfriend's carotid artery in the neck, according to the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The police also discovered that Choi bought his weapon at a supermarket in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, two hours before the attack.

Based on these circumstances, police believe that the murder was premeditated.

Choi also admitted his crime during his police questioning on Tuesday, confessing that he killed her after she tried to end their relationship.

The police added that Choi was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs when he allegedly committed the crime.

After questioning him on Tuesday, the police filed an arrest warrant.

During his hearing for his arrest warrant, held at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Seoul Central District Court, he apologized to the family of the deceased, saying that he would spend the rest of his life atoning for his crime to the victim and her family, according to his court-appointed attorney.

The attorney added that Choi testified that it had not been long since he planned the crime.

The victim’s autopsy, which was conducted the same day, determined that she bled out from the stabbing.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]