Suspect in Sungnyemun Underpass Murder Detained on "Flight Risk" Concerns

A man in his 70s, Mr. Rimo, suspected of murdering a sanitation worker in downtown Seoul early in the morning, has been arrested.

A man in his 70s accused of murdering a sanitation worker is attending a pre-trial detention hearing on the afternoon of the 4th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Judge Park Byung-gon of the Seoul Central District Court held a pre-arrest detention hearing for Mr. Rimo, who is charged with murder, on the afternoon of the 4th and issued an arrest warrant citing "risk of flight."

Mr. Rimo is accused of stabbing a sanitation worker in his 60s, Mr. Jo, who worked for a security company in Jung-gu, multiple times with a weapon near the underground passage by Sungnyemun at around 5:10 a.m. on the 2nd.

It is known that Mr. Rimo testified that he asked Mr. Jo, whom he had known since May last year, for water but was refused, and believing that Mr. Jo was ignoring him, he committed the crime. Mr. Rimo was urgently arrested in an alley near the Dongja-dong gosiwon area 3 hours and 40 minutes after the crime.

When Mr. Rimo appeared at the detention hearing that afternoon, he responded "I don't know" to reporters' questions such as "Do you admit the charges?" and "Why did you commit the crime?" He did not answer questions like "Where did you prepare the weapon?" or "Do you have anything to say to the victim?"