"Thought He Raped His Wife"... Daecheongdo Public Worker Arrested for Killing Colleague Due to Misunderstanding

Incheon District Court Issues Arrest Warrant Citing Risk of Suspect's Escape

A public employee, Mr. A (49), who is accused of killing a colleague after mistakenly believing that he had sexually assaulted his wife on Daechongdo Island, Incheon, is entering the Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of the 14th to undergo a pre-arrest detention hearing. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] A public employee in his 40s has been arrested by the police on suspicion of stabbing and killing a coworker with a weapon after mistakenly believing that the coworker had sexually assaulted his wife.

The Jungbu Police Station in Incheon announced on the 14th that they had arrested A (49), a public employee affiliated with Ongjin County Office in Incheon, on charges including murder.

Kim Hyun-deok, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Incheon District Court, conducted a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review) for A on the same day and issued an arrest warrant, stating, "There is a risk that the suspect may flee."

Before attending the warrant review, A told reporters asking, "Do you have anything to say to the victim?" that "I am sorry, I have committed a grave sin." He did not respond to questions such as "Do you admit to the murder charge?" or "Is it true that you committed the crime because you misunderstood that your wife was sexually assaulted?"

A is accused of stabbing B (52), a coworker at the township office, in the abdomen with a weapon on a road in Daecheong-myeon, Ongjin County, Incheon, around 12:05 a.m. on the 12th, resulting in B's death.

On the day of the crime, A reportedly drank with acquaintances including B at a barbecue restaurant in the afternoon and then had a second drinking session at his home. After everyone left, A, while intoxicated, saw his wife asleep naked in a locked room and mistakenly believed that B had sexually assaulted her.

Following this, A drove a vehicle to B's house and committed the crime. He then surrendered to the police, saying, "I killed my friend." During the police investigation, A stated, "I misunderstood B because I was drunk; I don't know why I did it."

A's wife, who was questioned as a witness, reportedly stated that "There was no sexual assault by B."