Cheongju Woman's Disappearance: Suspect Urgently Arrested on Manslaughter Charges

Ex-boyfriend Arrested as Suspect in Missing Woman Case
Police: "Charges May Change Depending on Investigation Results"

In connection with the case of a missing woman in her 50s in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, police have urgently arrested her ex-boyfriend as a murder suspect. This comes 43 days after the woman went missing.

Police are searching for a missing woman in her 50s in Cheongju, and CCTV footage confirmed that her SUV was heading toward a reservoir just before she disappeared. The photo shows Oksung Reservoir (formerly Oksan Reservoir) in Munbaek-myeon, Jincheon-gun, on the morning of the 26th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to Yonhap News Agency on the 26th, the North Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency announced, "At around 11:47 a.m. today, we urgently arrested a man in his 50s, identified as A, on charges of manslaughter at the parking lot of a restaurant in Jincheon-eup, Jincheon-gun."

The police suspect that A killed his ex-girlfriend, identified as B, and are currently questioning him about whether he met B on the day she went missing, October 14. A police official stated, "It is not yet clear how the crime was committed. For now, we have applied the lowest level charge of manslaughter for the arrest, but the charges may change depending on the results of the investigation."

The police believe there is a high possibility that A abandoned B's body and her vehicle in the area around Oksung Reservoir (formerly Oksan Reservoir) in Jincheon-gun. At 3:26 p.m. on the same day, they requested an underwater search from the fire authorities. The search team withdrew as night fell and plans to resume the search the following day.

Based on evidence that B's SUV entered and exited the area around Oksung Reservoir twice on the day of her disappearance, police believe there is a high likelihood that both her body and her vehicle are at the reservoir.

Previously, B was last seen on CCTV at 6:10 p.m. on October 14, leaving work and driving her SUV from a company in Oksan-myeon, Cheongju. She has been missing since then.

The police have been investigating A on suspicion of murdering B, based on the fact that the two had broken up but continued to have frequent disputes over romantic issues even after their separation.