By Kim Bo-eun

A 58-year-old murder suspect turned himself in to police after three days of hiding on a remote island in South Jeolla Province, police said.

The suspect, surnamed Kim, fled to a mountain on the island after stabbing his girlfriend to death in front of an apartment building in Wando County on April 16.

There, Kim slept for only one or two hours each day. He walked up and down the mountain trails to withstand the cold and tried to appease his hunger by eating wild flowers and drinking water from streams.

However, as it started to rain Thursday, a dehydrated Kim eventually turned himself in. The police requested an arrest warrant for him, Friday.

“I am the criminal you are searching for,” Kim said to a policeman who was on duty near the mountain, repeatedly saying that he was cold and hungry.

Following the homicide, Kim stole a wooden boat early Tuesday and rowed it to the island.

Police spotted the boat that morning and started a search, mobilizing 200 policemen and a helicopter.

Kim told police that he killed his girlfriend while fighting over financial matters.