Suspect in 'Bukhangang Body Mutilation' Case Is Active Lieutenant Colonel... "Fury During Argument"

Victim Was a Military Civilian Worker in the Same Unit
Text Message Saying 'Not Going to Work' Sent from Victim's Mobile Phone

A dismembered body of a woman in her 30s was found in the Bukhan River in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. The prime suspect arrested by the police is an active-duty army lieutenant colonel, and the victim was a civilian employee who worked in the same unit as the suspect. It was also revealed that the suspect attempted a "perfect crime" by sending absence messages from the victim's phone after the crime.

On the 4th, Gangwon Provincial Police Agency is investigating Lieutenant Colonel A, an officer in his late 30s, on charges of murder, corpse mutilation, and corpse concealment, according to Yonhap News Agency. A is suspected of killing the victim, B (33, female), on the 25th of last month, dismembering the body, and abandoning it. Around 3 p.m. on the 25th, A allegedly strangled B to death in a fit of rage after an argument in his vehicle in the unit’s parking lot, then dismembered the body and disposed of it in the Bukhan River in Hwacheon around 9:40 p.m. the following day.

The suspect in the dismemberment and disposal of a body in the Bukhan River, Hwacheon, Gangwon, is being transferred from the Chuncheon Police Station to the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency on the 4th for investigation.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

A is a lieutenant colonel (junior grade) assigned to the Cyber Operations Command of the Republic of Korea Army in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and was transferred to a subordinate unit in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 28th of last month. B was a fixed-term civilian employee who worked in the same unit until A’s transfer. B’s contract was valid until the end of last month, so she had about three days of work remaining at the time of the crime. A feared that if B was marked absent without leave, his crime would be exposed. After disposing of the body, he sent a message from B’s phone to the unit requesting that the remaining workdays be treated as leave. Afterwards, A carried B’s phone around, turning it off and on to simulate activity, and also sent messages to B’s family and acquaintances to cover up the crime.

A attempted a perfect crime by leaving no traces during the dismemberment and disposal of the body. He mutilated the body using tools prepared in advance inside a building near the unit scheduled for demolition, leaving no bloodstains or other evidence. When the police conducted a search after arresting A, the retaining walls and floors of the site had already been demolished.

Additionally, when disposing of the body in the river, A placed stones inside the bag containing the body to prevent it from floating quickly. The police deployed 200 officers, 21 divers, 10 boats, 8 search dogs, and 2 drones to conduct an intensive three-day search, ultimately recovering all remains on the morning of the 4th.

The police believe the two had been close colleagues working in the same office but had a recent conflict that led to the crime. They are currently investigating A for specific motives. The police are also reviewing whether to disclose A’s personal information, including his face, name, and age, as he is currently detained at the Chuncheon Police Station.