Chinese student found dead; man who reported her missing arrested
Summary
Police said Wednesday that a Chinese graduate student was found dead in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, five days after she was reported missing. A Chinese man in his 30s, surnamed Jeong, who had first reported her missing and said he was her boyfriend, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder. Investigators are examining the time of death, motive and whether the missing-person report was filed to mislead the probe. The Chinese consulate in Busan demanded a thorough investigation and consular assistance for the family.
Key Facts
- The victim was a 25-year-old Chinese woman attending graduate school in Gyeongsan.
- Police said she had returned to China during summer break and came back to Korea on Aug. 14 for her graduation ceremony.
- Jeong reported her missing at about 7 p.m. last Friday, saying she had told him she was going to Daegu.
- Police arrested Jeong on a street in Gyeongsan at 7:29 p.m. Tuesday and transferred him to Gyeongsan Police Station at about 11:50 p.m.
Consulate calls for severe punishment of perpetrator
A man suspected of killing a Chinese student in her 20s is escorted to Gyeongsan Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province at about 11:50 p.m., Tuesday. Yonhap
Police said Wednesday that a Chinese student who had been reported missing was found dead the previous day at the home of a fellow Chinese national in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, prompting the Chinese consulate to demand severe punishment for the perpetrator.
Investigators found the victim, a 25-year-old woman attending a graduate school in Gyeongsan, at the residence of a Chinese man in his 30s, surnamed Jeong, five days after she went missing.
Jeong, who identified himself as the victim’s boyfriend, was the person who first reported her missing last Friday, a day after she lost contact with her family and acquaintances.
According to police, the victim had returned to China during her summer break before coming back to Korea on Aug. 14 to attend her graduation ceremony.
Jeong reported her disappearance to police at about 7 p.m., saying she had told him she was going to Daegu, about 15 kilometers from Gyeongsan, but that he had since been unable to reach her.
Suspicion later fell on Jeong after investigators noticed inconsistencies in his statements while questioning him initially as a witness.
Police arrested him on suspicion of murder on a street in Gyeongsan at 7:29 p.m., Tuesday. After inspecting the suspected crime scene, they transferred him to Gyeongsan Police Station at about 11:50 p.m.
Investigators are seeking to determine the exact time of the victim’s death, including whether Jeong filed the missing person report after allegedly killing her in an attempt to mislead the investigation.
They will also question Jeong about the motive and circumstances surrounding the death before seeking an arrest warrant.
According to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese Consulate General in Busan confirmed the victim’s death and the suspect’s arrest with Korean police on Tuesday as it called for a thorough investigation.
It also said it would provide consular assistance to the victim’s family in handling matters related to the case.
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