ED Serial murder suspect identified

Forensic technology could help solve long-term cold cases

Police have identified a suspect in the country's worst serial murder case that took place in and around Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The suspect is in his 50s and is already in prison for a different murder.

Police said newly analyzed DNA evidence from three of the nine rape and murder cases matched the DNA of the suspect who was in his 20s at the time of the killings. The discovery could bring to light one of the country's most notorious rape and murder sprees that terrorized Korea from 1986 to 1992 and remained unsolved for over 30 decades.

But the suspect won't face charges over the murders because the statute of limitations for the last of the murders expired in 2006. Nonetheless, police should continue their efforts to shed light on the crimes to establish justice in society.

More than 2 million police officers were mobilized to investigate the murders and 3,000 suspects were questioned. Yet the murderer was never found. The biggest problem was the absence of technology and equipment to conduct a modern forensic criminal analysis, although the killer left a lot of evidence at the crime scenes.

Police deserve praise for not giving up on investigations into unsolved murders and asking the National Forensic Service to test DNA which had been taken from the crime scenes. It is encouraging that the latest developments in forensic technology could help solve numerous high-profile cold cases.

The suspect has denied the murder spree during police questioning since the DNA test results were revealed. Officers should step up efforts to secure more evidence to conclude whether he is the real culprit.

The suspect will not be punished for any of those crimes, but this cannot be an excuse for police to slow their investigation. It's urgent to uncover the truth through a thorough investigation. Only then can we ensure the safety of our society from crime.