In a stunning breakthrough, South Korean police have solved a baffling cold case from 2008, arresting a 50-year-old man accused of murdering his live-in girlfriend and encasing her body in cement on their apartment balcony. The Korea TimesThe gruesome crime remained hidden for years, reported as a missing person case until it was accidentally discovered last month. A construction worker repairing a leak in a rooftop balcony found a travel suitcase encased in concrete and bricks containing the partially preserved remains of the victim, identified as B.
Initial investigations in 2011 suspected the boyfriend to be A, but the case got stuck due to lack of evidence and clues. However, advances in forensic technology and a thorough investigation of the case forced the police to question the boyfriend again.
During interrogation, the boyfriend confessed to killing his girlfriend – who was in her 30s at the time – during a heated argument over a romantic issue in October 2008. He admitted to hitting her on the head and face with a blunt object. He then placed her body in a suitcase, which he buried under a layer of bricks and cement on his balcony.
Fingerprint analysis identified the partially preserved body and an autopsy revealed that the death was caused by a severe blow to the head. Police quickly identified the boyfriend as the prime suspect and arrested him on September 19 in Yangsan.
Additional revelations revealed how the crime remained hidden for so long. The boyfriend deceived B’s family and landlord, claiming that she had left after an argument. Notably, her family had lost contact with him and were misled about her whereabouts. When they went to Geoje in search of their daughter, they were told by Mr. A that the couple had separated, and that B had left the city.
He lived in this apartment until 2017, when he was sent to prison on drug charges. The landlord did not know about this terrible secret, so he used the room as a storage space, leaving the concrete corpse unharmed.
The boyfriend faces drug-related charges because the statute of limitations for concealing a body has expired. Prosecutors will review the case once the investigation is complete.
