'High School Girl Murder' Park Daeseong Searched for Victims on the Street with a Weapon for 30 Minutes

Park Daesung, Searching for Crime Targets for 30 Minutes
Hides Weapon Behind Back While Talking to Taxi Driver

The image of Park Daesung walking away smiling after the crime on the 26th of last month (left) and Park Daesung's mugshot.
[Photo by YTN, provided by Jeonnam Police Agency]

Park Daesung (30), who chased and killed a high school girl he had never met before in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, was found to have been carrying a weapon while scouting for his target just before the crime.

According to Dong-A Ilbo on the 2nd, Park Daesung took a weapon and went outside from his store located in Jorye-dong, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do around midnight on the 26th of last month. At that time, he had finished drinking four bottles of soju.

The first person Park Daesung met after leaving the store was a taxi driver. As Park Daesung lingered on the sidewalk in front of the store, the taxi driver stopped the taxi, mistaking him for a passenger. Park Daesung hid the weapon behind his body and talked with the driver. Soon after, the taxi driver left the scene. Considering that Park Daesung was hiding the weapon at the time, it cannot be ruled out that the taxi driver was also a potential target of the crime.

The second person Park Daesung encountered was the victim, A (18), who was walking on the sidewalk. He followed A for about 800 meters, killed her with the weapon, and then fled. Park Daesung discarded the weapon while escaping, and CCTV footage captured him smiling. During his escape, he drank half a bottle of beer at a pub and then got into an argument with another passerby before being caught by the police two hours after the crime.

After being arrested by the police, Park Daesung reportedly claimed, "I admit to the charges, but I don't remember anything because I was drinking," while also asserting symptoms of mental illness. Accordingly, the police requested a psychiatric evaluation of Park Daesung.

Meanwhile, the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency held a personal information disclosure review committee on the 30th of last month and decided to disclose Park Daesung's personal information. His information will be available on the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency website for 30 days until the 29th.