By Kim Rahn
A Korean man is being investigated for allegedly murdering his pregnant Cambodia-born wife by intentionally causing a crash.
The couple had 26 life insurance policies ― most of them obtained over the past year ― and paid 3.6 million won ($3,250) in monthly premiums for the woman alone. Insurance firms will have to pay him about 9.5 billion won ($8.6 million) if it is confirmed that she was killed in an accident.
According to police in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Wednesday, the 45-year-old husband, surnamed Lee, has been detained.
Lee was driving his van while his seven-month pregnant wife slept in the front passenger seat without wearing a seatbelt. The van reportedly crashed into an eight-ton cargo truck that was parked on the shoulder of a highway in Cheonan at 3:40 a.m. on Aug. 23.
The woman died on the scene. Lee was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident, and only suffered minor injuries. He received treatment at a nearby hospital.
He told police that he was drowsy while driving.
The couple had been married for eight years and had a five-year-old daughter. The Cambodia-born wife, 25, whose name was withheld, obtained Korean citizenship after they married.
Police investigators found that only the passenger seat of the van was seriously damaged. Forensic scientists also found evidence of a sleeping pill in the woman’s blood.
Police arrested Lee after concluding that he had intended to kill his wife.
No officials from the Cambodian embassy were available to comment about the incident.
According to surveillance camera recordings taken from the expressway, investigating officers concluded that Lee’s driving pattern was different from that which usually accompanies the movement of a vehicle when a driver is drowsy. Lee passed a curved section of the highway safely about 800 meters from the scene of crash, then turned on the vehicle’s lights onto high beam about 400 meters away, and turned the steering wheel multiple times until the moment of impact.
“It is impossible for a usual sleepy driver to drive that way for such a short time,” a police officer said.
Police also discovered that Lee took a selfie after the accident but later deleted it.
“Lee denies the allegations, saying he was drowsy and did not intend to kill his wife. But we arrested him based on evidence from a joint investigation,” the officer said.