Man Who Broke Into Stranger's Home and Committed Sexual Assault in Ulsan Apprehended After 15 Years on the Run

Ulsan Prosecutors Indict Suspect for Aggravated Rape Without Detention
Court Rejects Arrest Warrant, Citing "No Risk of Flight"

A man in his 40s who broke into a stranger's home in 2009, threatened a woman with a weapon, committed sexual assault, and then fled, was finally apprehended 15 years later thanks to DNA evidence he left behind.

The Criminal Division 2 of the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office (headed by Chief Prosecutor Kim Ilkwon) indicted a man in his 40s, referred to as A, without detention on charges of aggravated rape under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, Yonhap News reported on the 18th.

Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office. Asia Economy DB

A is accused of breaking into a house in Nam-gu, Ulsan in November 2009, threatening the resident, a woman identified as B, with a weapon, raping her, and then fleeing the scene. Based on the victim's statement that the perpetrator was a stranger, the police conducted a wide-ranging investigation but failed to identify a suspect. However, the police secured the perpetrator's DNA from the victim's underwear and registered it in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's identity information database. Under the so-called "DNA Act" (Act on the Use and Protection of DNA Identification Information) enacted in 2010, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the National Forensic Service store DNA from convicted individuals, detainees, or samples collected from crime scenes in a database.

This case, which had remained unsolved for 15 years, took a new turn last year when A was arrested by the police in connection with an assault case.

The DNA collected from A matched the DNA left by the rapist on victim B's underwear 15 years earlier. Afterward, prosecutors conducted a focused investigation and were able to prove A's sexual assault charges. Prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for A, but the court rejected it, citing "no risk of flight."

An official from the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office stated, "During the police investigation, we requested an arrest warrant for A, but it was rejected on the grounds that there was no risk of flight, so he was indicted without detention. We will continue to do our utmost to hold perpetrators of serious crimes fully accountable by utilizing scientific investigative techniques such as DNA data analysis." The official added, "We will also work to protect the rights of victims by, for example, requesting psychological counseling support for crime victims."