SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean police unveiled on Monday the identity of a man accused of murdering a colleague a day before a court was set to rule on whether he had stalked her, a case that sparked a public demand for tougher measures to stamp out such crimes.
Jeon Joo-hwan, 31, was arrested on charges of murder over the stabbing death last Wednesday of a 28-year-old woman in a subway restroom while she was on duty, officials said.
Both were employees of Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines in the capital, though Jeon was relieved of his duties last October after police began investigating the stalking accusation.
A court had been set to decide last Thursday on Jeon's indictment for the stalking accusation, a police officer said, but that hearing has since been postponed to Sept. 29.
"We acknowledge the gravity and cruelty of the crime in that the suspect brutally killed the victim at a public place according to a plan," the Yonhap news agency quoted a panel of police and experts as saying in a statement.
The comment adheres to current law, which allows authorities to reveal personal details of suspects in violent crimes committed in a "cruel way", after the panel has reviewed the matter.
Reuters was not immediately able to reach Jeon or his lawyers to seek comment on Monday's revelation of his details.
"I'm sorry," he had said last Friday, as he left a court hearing on his arrest, in response to a reporter who asked if he had anything to say to the victim.
Last week, President Yoon Suk-yeol promised his government would do its utmost to beef up efforts to protect stalking victims and prevent any recurrences.
(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
