Man Receives Suspended Sentence for Secretly Exhuming and Hiding Remains from Former In-Laws' Gravesite

Suspected Crime Triggered by Property Dispute
"Moved It... Not Concealment" Appeals for Leniency

A man in his 60s who was prosecuted for digging up his ex-wife’s parents’ graves without permission and hiding the remains elsewhere was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

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On the 17th, Jeju District Court Criminal Division 3 Judge Jeon Yong-su sentenced A (65), who was detained on charges of illegal excavation and concealment of remains, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. A is accused of digging up the graves of B’s parents without permission at a family communal cemetery in Jeju City on the morning of February 3rd around 4 a.m. At that time, A took out two sets of remains from the exhumed graves of B’s parents. He then secretly buried them in a coffin he had prepared in advance on a piece of land about 6 km away in Aewol-eup, Jeju City.

On February 10th, B’s family filed a report, prompting the police to launch an investigation. A, who was urgently arrested by the police, was found to have previously told B and others that he intended to exhume the graves. During the police investigation, A denied the charges, stating that he had “relocated them to a better place.” He remained silent regarding the location where the remains were buried and the motive for the crime.

The police identified A’s whereabouts on the day through digital forensic analysis of his mobile phone and pressed him further. Only then did A disclose the location where he had buried the remains. The prosecution sought a two-year prison sentence, citing that A committed the crime amid a property dispute with B. In court, A admitted to exhuming the graves but denied concealment charges, claiming that he did not hide the remains but rather kept them. However, A pleaded for leniency, saying, “My disgraceful actions have caused irreparable wounds to my ex-wife and her family.”

The court explained the sentencing rationale, stating, “The defendant’s act of intentional concealment is deserving of condemnation,” but also considered “the fact that the victim and defendant reached a settlement, the remains are expected to be returned to the bereaved family, and that the defendant has no prior criminal record.”