Seol: A Korean man in his 50s was arrested by the police on Wednesday for allegedly murdering his live-in girlfriend and encasing her body in cement on their apartment’s balcony 16 years ago. The incident dates back to 2008 when a missing person report was filed. But, the case remained unsolved until last month when a construction worker, who was repairing the leak on the rooftop balcony stumbled upon a suitcase encased in concrete and bricks. The suitcase contained the partially preserved remains of the victim, reported Korea Times.
In 2011, the case met a dead end due to a lack of evidence against the suspected boyfriend. However, a re-examination was done, which again led the police to re-question the boyfriend. During the interrogation, the accused confessed to killing his girlfriend over a romantic issue in October 2008. He confessed that he had hit his girlfriend on the head and face with a blunt object, who was in her 30s during the time of the incident. After killing her, he stuffed her dead body in a suitcase and then buried it under a layer of bricks and cement in his balcony.
As per the Korea Times report, fingerprint analysis identified the partially preserved body, and with the help of an autopsy report, it was revealed that blunt force trauma to the head was the cause of the death. Following the revelations, the cops immediately identified the boyfriend as the prime suspect and then arrested him on September 19 in Yangsan.
After investigating further, the cops found out how he kept the crime hidden for so long – the boyfriend deceived the victim's family and the landlord, claiming she had left after an argument. Her family had lost contact with her and were misled about her whereabouts. Her parents visited Geoje searching for her, but the accused told them they had separated and their daughter had left the city.
The accused remained in the apartment until his imprisonment on drug charges in 2017. Unaware of the horrific secret, the landlord later converted the space into storage, leaving the concrete-encased body untouched.
As the statute of limitations for concealing a corpse has passed, the boyfriend will face charges solely for drug-related offences. Prosecutors will assess the case after the investigation concludes.