Mugshot of Kim Yeong-woo, released by the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency. - Photo: Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency
SEOUL: South Korean police on Thursday (Dec 4) revealed the mugshot of 54-year-old Kim Yeong-woo, who confessed to killing his former girlfriend out of apparent jealousy and hiding her body in wastewater.
The Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency said it decided to reveal the suspect's name, face, and age, based on the cruelty of the crime, the severity of the harm caused and the opinion of the victim's bereaved family.
Kim did not challenge the decision, and his information will be posted on the police agency's homepage for 30 days, starting Thursday.
Kim is believed to have killed the victim, a woman in her 50s, inside her car at a parking lot in Jincheon-gun, North Chungcheong Province, at around 9pm on Oct 14.
He told investigators that he committed the murder out of rage that the woman, who had broken up with him, was seeing someone else.
The suspect disposed of the body inside a septic tank at a business establishment in neighboring Eumseong-gun, at around 6pm on Oct 15. The body was found by authorities on Nov 16, 44 days after she was reported missing.
This marks the first time the police in North Chungcheong Province have decided to disclose information about a suspect in an ongoing investigation.
South Korea has been revealing the mugshots, ages and names of suspects in particularly serious crimes since the enactment of a related law in October 2023.
The information is disclosed after a review by the Deliberative Committee on Disclosure of Personal Information consisting of police officials, legal and medical professionals, and academics. - The Korea Herald/ANN
