[Summary] "Show Your Face" Met with "No" and Annoyance... Suspects in Jeju Middle School Student Murder Sent to Prosecution

Wearing Hats and Masks While Leaving Detention Center
Annoyed When Asked to Remove Mask
Previously Decided to Disclose Identity at Review Committee

Baek Gwang-seok, who was arrested and indicted on charges of murdering the middle school son of his former cohabiting partner, is being transferred from Jeju Dongbu Police Station to the prosecution on the 27th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A man in his 40s and his accomplice, who were arrested on suspicion of murdering the middle school son of the former lover in Jeju, have been sent to the prosecution. They showed irritation when the press requested them to remove their masks while leaving the detention center.

Jeju Dongbu Police Station sent Baek Gwangseok (48, main suspect) and Kim Sinam (46, accomplice), who are suspected of murder, to the prosecution with an indictment opinion on the 27th.

At around 12:55 PM that day, Baek and Kim appeared to the press while leaving the detention center of Jeju Dongbu Police Station. They were dressed in tracksuits worn at the time of the crime, wearing hats and masks due to the COVID-19 situation, completely covering their faces.

When the press asked them, "Do you admit it was a planned crime?" and "Do you have anything to say to the bereaved family?" they only replied, "Sorry," before getting into the escort vehicle. When asked to lower their masks to show their faces, they responded irritably, saying, "No, no."

Baek and Kim are suspected of breaking into a house in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, at 3:16 PM on the 18th and murdering a middle school student, A.

On the day of the incident, at around 10:50 PM, A was found dead in the attic of the house with his hands and feet bound with tape. A's mother, who returned home after work, discovered the body and reported it to the police.

'Jeju Middle School Student Murder Case' Accomplice Kim Si-nam / Photo by Yonhap News

Based on the analysis of closed-circuit television (CCTV) and other evidence, the police identified Baek and Kim as suspects. Kim was urgently arrested in downtown Jeju three hours after the report, and Baek was caught at a lodging facility at 7:26 PM the same day.

It is known that before the incident, they purchased items to be used as tools for the crime at a hardware store and visited the vicinity of A's house over two days, on the 16th and 17th.

The police suspect that Baek, the main suspect, harbored resentment over his past common-law relationship with A's mother and killed A for revenge. Kim, the accomplice, reportedly denies some charges, claiming he did not directly participate in the murder.

Baek has a criminal record of 10 offenses, including punishment for multiple crimes committed against former lovers in the past.

Meanwhile, the police decided to disclose their identities on the 26th. Jeju Police Agency held a personal information disclosure review committee that morning and revealed the identities of Baek and Kim.

Baek Gwang-seok, who is accused of killing a middle school student in Jeju and fleeing, is being transferred from Jeju Eastern Police Station to Jeju District Court on the afternoon of the 21st to undergo a pre-arrest warrant hearing. / Photo by Yonhap News

The review committee stated, "It has been confirmed that the suspects planned the crime in advance, purchasing tools for the crime. Two adults jointly and brutally murdered a middle school victim, resulting in serious consequences, and there is sufficient evidence including confessions from the suspects."

They added, "Although we fully considered the suspects' human rights and the potential secondary damage to their families and acquaintances, we concluded that all conditions are met, including respecting the public's right to know, preventing recidivism, and serving the public interest."

According to the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, the police may disclose personal information such as the suspect's face, name, and age if certain conditions are met.

The conditions are: △ the crime method is cruel and the damage is serious △ there is sufficient evidence to believe the suspect committed the crime △ the suspect is not a juvenile under the Juvenile Protection Act (under 19 years old).