Man Suspected of Killing Female Student Arrested

South Korean police Sunday arrested a man suspected of kidnapping and killing a 21-year-old female university student in a town south of Seoul, Yonhap News reported Sunday.

The 38-year-old suspect, identified as a masseur surnamed Kang with a previous record for theft and other crimes, has confessed to killing the female student, who was last seen on Dec. 19 last year and was found dead early Sunday in the city of Gunpo, south of Seoul.

The case has drawn national attention since several other women have been reported missing in the area in recent years. South Korea, with a population of 49 million, is considered a relatively safe country with the annual murder rate hovering below 1,000.

The body of the student was found buried in a rice paddy 37 days after she went missing, Park Hak-geun, a senior police officer in charge of the case at the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, was quoted as saying.

"Kang said his motive behind the killing was rape and theft, but he said he didn't actually go through with the rape because he got nervous," Park told reporters.

Kang is accused of allegedly luring the victim, who was on her way home, to his car and stealing her credit card before strangling her to death.

His partially hidden face was spotted by a CCTV camera installed at a Gunpo bank, where he withdrew 700,000 won (US$503) using the victim's credit card.

Appearing before a team of investigators in the city of Ansan, 42 kilometers south of Seoul, Kang, his face covered with a black cap and hood, told reporters the crime was committed "accidentally" and that he used the money for pleasure.