Two faces of dead girl's father
Ko Jun-hee’s father, 36, stands in front of Jeonbuk Police Office before being questioned on Dec.30. The father admitted dumping his daughter’s body on a hill in North Jeolla Province in April. / Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
The parents of missing girl Ko Jun-hee, who found dead last week, had been getting along with neighbors and had a good reputation in the neighborhood, reports said Monday.
Some neighbors called the five-year-old’s father a “superman.”
The father, surnamed Ko, 36, and his common-law wife, Lee, 35, had been active in the neighborhood and the residents’ online community.
“Ko was like the head of this small village. The father often posted his private life stories on the village’s online community site,” Yonhap news agency quoted a resident as saying.
Ko often offered to help other residents, such as lending them tools. He put a sticker saying “Head of village” on his motorcycle.
Ko’s common-law wife, Lee, was also known for her devotion to her young son, the report said. According to villagers, Lee told them she took extra care when choosing food because her son had an atopic condition.
Police found the girl’s body on a hill in the western coastal city of Gunsan on Friday, after her father confessed he had put it there.
The parents reported the girl missing last month, but police say the parents buried the body eight months ago.
A portrait of Ko Jun-hee, 5, at her funeral in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, Dec. 30. / Yonhap
Forensic investigators said the girl’s three ribs were fractured, from what appeared to be external shock.
The police investigation is focused on whether the broken ribs are related to the cause of death, and/or whether they are the result of physical abuse.