By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter

Police are investigating a woman who left her husband's body in the living room for nearly 15 months after his death in the belief that prayer would revive him.

The 45-year-old man's body was found almost mummified in his apartment in Busan by his father-in-law, 57, who notified the police.

``I hadn't seen him in over a year. When I went to his home, he was lying straight on his back,'' the father-in-law was quoted as saying by the police.

The man, identified as Goh, apparently died of lung cancer Jan. 2, according to the police investigation.

His wife, a 37-year-old Christian, did not arrange a funeral ceremony and continued to pray, believing that prayer would lead to a miracle, according to the police.

``Strangely, there was no rotten smell from the room when investigators arrived at the scene. We are studying related laws in connection with the prolonged preservation of the body,'' a police officer said.

Police plan to conduct an autopsy.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr