Seoul court authorises detention in mother-in-law killing case

The Seoul Eastern District Court issued an arrest warrant for a man also accused of abducting his wife during marriage annulment proceedings.

The court's October 13 decision followed the man's emergency arrest by police on Sunday. The suspect is in his 20s. Investigators allege that he fatally stabbed his mother-in-law at her home in eastern Seoul and took his wife away.

Police found him in Yangyang County, about 150 kilometres east of the capital, roughly seven hours after the attack. Yonhap reported that he admitted most of the allegations but denied planning the killing or intending to harm his mother-in-law.

Police are examining possible premeditation, saying he waited near his wife's home for more than four hours. She had been preparing to annul their marriage after previously filing for divorce. The warrant concerns detention during the investigation and is not a conviction.