Dead girl's father confesses to beating her

Forensic investigators carry the body of Ko Jun-hee, 5, buried on a hill in Gunsan, where her father confessed he had put it there in April. / Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

The father of dead girl Ko Jun-hee, whose body was found last week, confessed to beating her many times, police said Tuesday.

According to the Jeonju Police Office, the father, surnamed Ko, 36, admitted he punched and kicked the five-year-old before she died in April.

Ko claimed his common-law wife, Lee, 35, also abused the girl, but said the beating did not cause her death.

The parents reported the girl missing last month, but the father confessed Friday that he had left the body on a hill in the western coastal city of Gunsan in April.

Forensic investigators said Monday the girl had three fractured ribs from what appeared to be external shock.

The police investigation is continuing.