Man in His 40s Faces Detention Review for Killing Girlfriend and Hiding Body for a Year: "I'm Sorry"

Charged with Murder and Abandonment of a Corpse
Detention Decision Expected as Early as This Evening

A man in his 40s, accused of killing his girlfriend and hiding her body in a kimchi refrigerator for a year, appeared in court for a detention review.

A, who is accused of killing his girlfriend and disposing of the body, is entering Gunsan Branch of Jeonju District Court on the 30th for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). Photo by Yonhap News

On the 30th, A, a man in his 40s facing charges of murder and abandonment of a corpse, attended a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing) at the Gunsan Branch of Jeonju District Court.

When asked by reporters, "Why did you kill your girlfriend?" and "Why did you dispose of the body?" A briefly replied, "I'm sorry," before entering the courthouse.

The decision on whether A will be detained is expected as early as this evening.

A was urgently arrested by police the previous day on charges of murder and abandonment of a corpse. He is accused of causing the death of his girlfriend, B (also in her 40s), in a villa in Jochon-dong, Gunsan City, on October 20 last year and hiding her body in a kimchi refrigerator.

To conceal the crime, A used B's mobile phone to exchange text messages with her family and even paid her rent on her behalf. However, when B's family was unable to reach her by phone, they reported her missing to the police at around noon the previous day.

When police began their investigation and called B's phone, A instructed his live-in girlfriend to pretend to be B and answer the call. Suspicious, the live-in girlfriend questioned A, who then confessed to the crime.

Afterward, the live-in girlfriend informed an acquaintance about the incident, and that acquaintance reported A to the police.

Upon receiving the report, police urgently arrested A at his residence in Gunsan City at around 7:20 p.m. the previous day and confirmed the discovery of B's body in the villa where she had lived in downtown Gunsan.

According to the police investigation, A had no particular occupation and made a living by trading stocks for short-term gains. He reportedly stated that he committed the crime after an argument with B over stock-related issues.

The police have sent B's body to the National Forensic Service for an autopsy and are investigating the circumstances of the case, including examining B's bank accounts.