`Janitors Death Not Political
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Police temporarily concluded that a man who killed the chief janitor of former President Park Chung-hee's birthplace committed the crime due to anger without any political motivation.
On Wednesday, the 27-year-old man identified as Kang killed Kim Jae-hak, 81, the chief of a civic organization that looks after the house where the late Park was born in Gumi, South Gyeongsang Province. He was caught on the day near the crime scene. Daegu District Court issued an arrest warrant for Kang on Thursday afternoon.
``The murderer looks to have killed Kim Jae-hak on his own by accident. As of now, we have no clue proving that the crime had any political purpose.''
``He did not kill Kim while intoxicated or addicted to drugs. He has never served as a member of a political party,'' a police official said.
Police sought an arrest warrant for Kang, Thursday, submitting video clips recorded by CCTV installed near the crime scene and a small farming shovel he used in the murder as evidence.
Kang will undergo a psychiatric examination after exhibiting strange behavior during questioning.
According to police, he was collecting waste inside the former President's birthplace when the late janitor scolded him to keep out. Angry, Kang stripped Kim and bound his hands and feet with his clothes before killing him with the farming tool.
Park Geun-hye, former chairwoman of the Grand National Party and the eldest daughter of the late president, said ``Police should thoroughly investigate the case to verify the motivation of the homicide. I will closely monitor the investigation.''
Park did not rule out the possibility that the crime was linked to a political conspiracy, saying ``Police should not conclude that this murder has nothing to do with a political conspiracy until the ongoing investigation comes to an end.''
Political parties also urged authorities to thoroughly probe the murder case.
``Police should team up with concerned institutes to thoroughly investigate the case. Preventive measures should be taken immediately,'' said Cho Seon-yoon, a GNP spokesman, in an official statement.
Kim, a retired primary school principal, had managed the house since the mid-1980s. Reportedly, Kim was a close friend with the late President in his childhood and had served as an enthusiastic supporter of Park Geun-hye until recently.