South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday sought the death penalty for Kim So-young, a 20-year-old woman accused of killing two men and injuring four others by giving them drinks spiked with drugs.
The request was made during a hearing at the Seoul Northern District Court.
Kim has been indicted on charges including murder and aggravated assault over a series of incidents between 2025 and 2026. Prosecutors allege that she met multiple men at motels and other locations and gave them drinks containing benzodiazepine-based drugs, killing two and causing others to lose consciousness.
Kim initially acknowledged drugging some of the victims but denied intending to kill them.
She later claimed that she had drugged her victims to avoid unwanted sexual advances by the men. She has also denied giving drug-laced drinks to three of the surviving victims.
Investigators found records showing that Kim had searched for information on the effects of taking sleeping pills with alcohol and whether taking large amounts could lead to death.
Prosecutors have cited the searches as evidence that she was aware of the potentially fatal consequences of the drugs.
Bereaved families of the victims urged the court to sentence Kim to death, speaking to reporters before Tuesday's hearing.
A lawyer representing the victims' families said investigators had found no evidence supporting allegations of sexual crimes by the victims, calling the claims "insulting" and a form of secondary victimization of the bereaved families.
"Kim is a serial killer who appeared in an era when serial killings are virtually impossible," the lawyer said, calling for the death penalty.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com