Korean man allegedly strangled newlywed wife to death for refusing to have sex

A Korean man allegedly strangled his wife to death for refusing to have sex with him.

SBS News reported that the accused, Seo, and his wife Yoo Hye Young, had been married for just three months.

Both are 35.

According to the Korean online portal Daum.net, the pair got married after a 10-month relationship.

Sex-obsessed

However, Yoo was starting to regret marrying Seo.

Daum.net reported that in February 2025, Yoo told Seo she wanted a divorce. She sent her friends messages such as "It's like (Seo is) crazy about sex" and "Why did I marry (Seo)".

A month later, on Mar. 13 at around 2:25pm, Yoo was found dead.

Circumstances of death

Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Seo strangled Yoo while drunk at his honeymoon house in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.

Paramedics arrived at the scene after a 119 emergency call, according to SBS News.

They found that Yoo had been dead for quite some time, as her body was stiff and rigid.

She did not have any underlying health conditions and was found with a bruise on her upper lip and a red line around her neck.

That prompted a police investigation considering the possibility of a homicide.

Pretended to be innocent

After the incident, Yoo's mother rushed to the funeral home upon receiving the call and found Seo in a state of disbelief.

Since she viewed him as her son, she was worried he would be in despair and develop negative thoughts.

However, Seo, who was the chief mourner, was summoned by detectives and arrested on suspicion of Yoo's murder.

He continued to claim innocence in front of Yoo's family. According to her family, Seo said it was not him and that he would be back and smiled brightly.

Motive revealed

It was only during police investigations that Seo admitted his motive for the crime was that Yoo had refused to have sex with him.

He added that he accidentally murdered her while drunk.

According to Daum.net, Yoo became pregnant six months after her relationship with Seo, but had a miscarriage.

However, Seo continued to ask Yoo for sex.

On the morning of Yoo's death, her neighbours testified that they heard "a heavy dragging sound, a flapping sound, and a woman who seemed to be choking on something," they said.

Charges

Seo was put on trial for murder on Jul. 14 at the Seoul Southern District Court, according to Maeil Business Newspaper.

Seo's lawyer said, "After being appointed, it is difficult to review the documents due to a lack of time."

The court responded that the trial would be finalised within six months of the arrest period.

According to the Criminal Procedure Act, the period of arrest for trial can be up to six months in the first trial.

Maeil Business Newspaper reported that in the previous two trials, Seo asked to postpone the trial as he failed to appoint an attorney.

In response, the prosecution said: "It seems that the date was deliberately postponed."

The trial marked around four months since Yoo died, and her family said that Seo had never properly apologised and asked for forgiveness.

Top photo via I want to know that via Daum