A 58-year-old man in South Korea has been arrested and charged with the murder of his girlfriend, a case that remained unsolved for 16 years.
The suspect confessed to killing the woman during a heated argument in October 2008 and subsequently concealed her body in a suitcase, which he buried under cement on his balcony.
The Crime
The incident occurred on October 10, 2008, in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. According to police reports, the man fatally struck his girlfriend, who was in her 30s at the time, with a blunt object during an argument.
After the murder, he placed her body into a large travel bag and hid it on the outdoor balcony of their apartment.
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To prevent discovery, he covered the suitcase with bricks and poured a 10-centimeter (approximately four inches) layer of cement over it.
Discovery of the Body
The body remained undiscovered for years until August 2024 when a maintenance worker found the suitcase while conducting repairs to address water leaks in the building.
The remains were identified through fingerprint analysis, revealing that the woman had died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Police noted that the body was “preserved to some extent,” allowing for identification despite significant decomposition.
Investigation and Arrest
The suspect continued living in the same apartment for eight years after the murder until he was arrested on drug charges in 2016.
During this time, he had told authorities that he and his girlfriend had broken up, which contributed to the case going cold.
It wasn’t until the recent discovery of the body that police reopened the investigation and quickly identified him as a prime suspect. He was arrested on September 19, 2024.
Legal Proceedings
The man is now facing murder charges as well as additional charges related to drug use discovered at the time of his arrest.
Authorities are finalizing their investigation and plan to send the case to prosecution soon.
