Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
PHOTOS 'He deserved to die,' motel murder suspect says
Jang Dae-ho looks at a journalist as he enters the Goyang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
Yonhap
Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
A man arrested for allegedly killing a motel guest said Wednesday that he was “not sorry” and would “kill him again.”
Seoul motel employee Jang Dae-ho, 39, is being investigated on charges of murdering a guest, 32, and dismembering his body after the guest “insulted” him on Aug. 8.
“I'm not sorry for his family at all,” Jang told journalists. “At the detention center, I thought about whether what I did was wrong. But no … He deserved to die.”
On Tuesday, police decided to reveal Jang's face to the media, given the seriousness of the crime and sufficient evidence.
Jang turned himself in on Aug. 17 after police found a dismembered torso near the pier of Magok Bridge over the Han River.
Jang told police he killed the guest in anger after the man used abusive language and refused to pay a 40,000 won ($34) fee.
Police said Jang used a spare key to get into the guest's room and then beat him to death with a blunt weapon.
He kept the body in the building until Aug. 12, when he dropped the dismembered parts into the river.
In addition to the torso, investigators found a severed right arm and a head believed to be the victim's on Friday and Saturday. After finding Jang's fingerprints on the body, they started looking for him.