Prosecutors Indict Man in His 30s for Killing Acquaintance and Dumping Body in Namhangang River

Charges of Murder and Abandonment of a Corpse

A man who killed an acquaintance he was living with and abandoned the body has been sent to trial in detention.

The Criminal Division 2 of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office (headed by Chief Prosecutor Kim Garam) announced on the 13th that it had indicted a man in his 30s, identified only by his surname A, on charges of murder and abandonment of a corpse, and that he is currently under detention.

Prosecution. Yonhap News Agency

A is accused of strangling and killing his acquaintance B during an argument at his home in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, in mid-February, and then dumping the body in the Namhangang River near Dumulmeori in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province.

Earlier, on January 21, the police launched an investigation after receiving a report that "B cannot be reached," and that same evening they urgently arrested A on a street in the Nowon-gu area of Seoul. The investigation found that immediately after the crime, A attempted to cover up the incident by using B's mobile phone to impersonate the victim and exchange messages via a messenger app. It was also reported that he tried to flee overseas after packing his passport and cash.

The police have identified specific circumstances showing that A loaded the body into a vehicle and transported it, based on an analysis of the vehicle’s movement route and CCTV footage, but they are facing difficulties in searching for the body because the river is frozen.

A prosecution official said, "We will actively cooperate with the police in the forthcoming search for the body and will also promptly proceed with financial support for the bereaved family of the deceased victim."