Identity revealed: Former ssireum athlete charged with killing two women

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Tue, October 3, 2023 | 00:19

Law & Crime

Identity revealed: Former ssireum athlete charged with killing two women

Posted : 2020-05-21 14:19

Updated : 2020-05-22 09:42

Police investigate a fruit farm at Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, May 12, after a woman's body was found there. Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

Choi Shin-jong

Police have revealed the identity of Choi Shin-jong, the suspect charged with murdering two women over four days last month.

Choi, 31, once a promising ssireum athlete, is suspected of raping and killing his wife's friend, 34, before dumping her body near a stream in Imsil, North Jeolla Province, April 15. Four days later, he allegedly murdered another woman, 29, and dumped the body at a fruit farm in Jeonju.

The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency said Wednesday that it decided to disclose his name, face and other personal information given the severity of his alleged crimes.

Choi reportedly admitted the charges.

He has a notorious reputation among the people who know him, sources told News1, a local new agency.

"I was not even surprised by the news," one person was quoted as saying. "(Given his violence), I thought he could kill someone someday."

In 2012, Choi was convicted of threatening and raping his ex-girlfriend and given a three-year prison sentence suspended for five years. In 2015, he was sentenced to six months in prison for theft in Gimje.

Choi was a famous ssireum athlete who won several medals in national-level events during elementary school. But for unclear reasons, he was reportedly expelled from his middle school ssireum team.