After assault, customer lost consciousness and was left unattended for 13 hours... 'Incheon Karaoke Bar Murder' Heo Min-woo "Admits all charges"

Customer Killed by Head Strike After Dispute at Incheon Karaoke Bar
Body Brutally Mutilated and Abandoned Near Mountain
Previously Active in Incheon Gang 'Kkolmangpa'

Heo Min-woo (34), the murderer at a singing bar in Incheon / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Heo Min-woo (34), a karaoke bar owner who was charged with murdering a customer after an argument, brutally mutilating the body, and abandoning it, admitted all charges at his first trial.

At the first hearing held on the 25th at the Incheon District Court's 13th Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Ho Seong-ho), Heo, who was indicted on charges of murder, corpse mutilation, and abandonment while in custody, responded "Yes, I admit" when asked by the judge, "Do you admit all the charges?"

The court plans to conduct a sentencing investigation for a month involving Heo's family and the victim's bereaved family. Regarding this, the court explained, "Although the prosecution submitted behavioral analysis data of the defendant's criminal actions, it is necessary to investigate his living circumstances through his family," and added, "We will also hear the position and situation of the victim's bereaved family."

Earlier, Heo was accused of killing a customer, Mr. A, by beating him at a karaoke bar in Sinpo-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon, around 2:20 a.m. on April 22, then mutilating and abandoning the body.

At the time, Heo struck Mr. A's face with his fists and feet, and then left the unconscious Mr. A unattended for about 13 hours, causing his death. Additionally, two days after the crime, on April 26, Heo mutilated the body in the karaoke bar's restroom, loaded it into a vehicle, and after searching for a disposal site, abandoned it near Cheolmasan Mountain in Bupyeong-gu between April 29 and 30.

After being arrested by the police last month, Heo stated, "Mr. A kept poking me and said, '(You) deserve to be punished (for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act),' and reported to 112. I got angry and killed him by hitting him with my fists and feet."

Meanwhile, Heo was previously active as a member of the Incheon-based violent gang 'Kkolmangpa.' He is reported to have multiple prior convictions for assault and injury.

In February 2019, Heo was prosecuted for violent gang activities and was sentenced in January last year to two years in prison with a three-year probation period along with probation. This crime was committed before the probation period ended.

After detaining Heo, the police held a personal information disclosure review committee and released his personal information, including his name, age, face, and photos.