Man Killed at Norae Jujeom Called 112 Himself... Police Did Not Respond

A karaoke bar with a "No Entry" notice posted. Mr. A, the owner of the karaoke bar in his 30s, is accused of killing Mr. B, a man in his 40s, at the karaoke bar he operates around 2 a.m. on the 22nd of last month and then disposing of the body.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jumi] It has been revealed that a man in his 40s who was killed by the owner of a karaoke bar in Incheon had directly called 112 during an altercation with the owner, but the police did not respond. The victim was confirmed to have died immediately after the call.

According to the Jungbu Police Station in Incheon on the 13th, the incident in which A, a man in his 30s who owns the karaoke bar, killed customer B occurred between 2:06 and 2:24 a.m. on the 22nd of last month.

At that time, victim B had an argument with A over the bar bill and called 112 right after. At around 2:05 a.m., just before being killed, B called 112 saying, "I can't pay the bar bill." During the call received by the Incheon Police Agency's 112 Comprehensive Security Situation Room, a voice presumed to be A was recorded saying, "Don't talk nonsense. You have no manners."

However, the situation room did not issue a dispatch order to the jurisdictional police station, Incheon Jungbu Police Station, despite receiving B's call.

A police official explained, "The officer at the situation room who received the call judged that it was not an emergency or dangerous situation," adding, "Towards the end of the call, the caller said, 'I'll handle it myself.' Because of this, the officer took it as a cancellation of the report and hung up first."

The police official said, "We regret not issuing a dispatch order and checking the scene. As an institution responsible for public safety, we are saddened and sorry that such an unfortunate outcome occurred," and added, "We will conduct a thorough internal investigation to identify any shortcomings in the process of handling the report."

On the 12th, police searched an empty lot in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, to find the victim's body after arresting a pub owner on charges of murdering a customer in his 40s and disposing of the corpse.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, A was arrested at his home in Incheon on the morning of the 12th on charges of murder and corpse abandonment. He is accused of killing B at a karaoke bar in Sinpo-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon, in the early hours of the 22nd of last month, mutilating the body, and abandoning it on the mid-slope of Cheolmasan Mountain in Bupyeong-gu.

After killing B, A hid the body in an empty room inside the bar, then from two days later moved it into a vehicle and drove around various parts of Incheon before abandoning it on Cheolmasan Mountain in Bupyeong-gu several days later.

In initial police questioning, A denied all charges but later confessed during additional investigation, stating, "I killed B after a fight broke out over the bar bill," and also said, "I called 112 and killed B by punching and kicking him multiple times."

Meanwhile, the police are considering disclosing A's identity. On the 13th, the police announced that they plan to disclose his face and real name, considering the public's right to know about A's brutal crime and the crime prevention effect.

The decision on whether to disclose his identity will be made next week by the Police Identity Disclosure Review Committee, composed of internal and external members.

A police official said, "We plan to further discuss the timing of holding the review committee after the decision on A's detention is made."