A taekwondo instructor and an employee are facing potential arrest for attempted murder after allegedly trying to poison the employee's husband with drug-laced alcohol. Police have obtained statements indicating that they used benzodiazepine, a substance linked to a recent serial murder case in northern Seoul, and are verifying the drug's composition.
On May 9, the 20-something instructor, identified as A, and her 40-something employee, B, appeared at the Incheon District Court in Bucheon for a pre-arrest interrogation. They did not respond to questions from reporters regarding the planning of the crime or their acknowledgment of the charges.
A and B are accused of placing a 1.8-liter bottle of soju laced with drugs in B's refrigerator on April 25, intending to kill B's husband, a man in his 50s identified as C. They allegedly targeted him because he often drank alone, but investigations revealed that C did not consume the tainted alcohol.
During police questioning, A reportedly stated that she crushed 60 tablets of benzodiazepine and mixed them into the soju through B. Benzodiazepine is a psychoactive substance used to treat insomnia and anxiety disorders, and it was previously associated with the suspect in the northern Seoul serial murder case.
The attempted murder allegations came to light after A was arrested on May 6 for injuring C with a weapon at B's home. Police discovered messages on A and B's phones that indicated they had conspired to commit murder, leading to B's emergency arrest as well.
Authorities have requested a substance analysis from the National Forensic Service to confirm the use of the drug and are investigating how it was obtained, as well as the possibility of copycat crimes.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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