A Chinese woman in her 20s who was studying in South Korea and had been reported missing in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, was found dead five days later. Police have arrested a Chinese man in his 30s — the person who first reported her disappearance — on suspicion of murder and are investigating his motive and the circumstances of the killing. Investigators found that the man changed into women's clothing shortly after the killing and traveled to Dongdaegu Station, and are examining whether he was trying to throw the investigation off track.
Chinese authorities are also closely watching the case. The Chinese Consulate General in Busan said it had asked South Korean police to conduct a thorough investigation and impose severe punishment on the perpetrator, and that it would provide consular assistance to the victim's family.
According to the Gyeongsan Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province on the 26th, the Chinese graduate student, identified only as A, re-entered South Korea on the 14th to attend her degree conferment ceremony. She then lost contact with her family and acquaintances on the 20th.
The missing-person report was filed at about 7 p.m. the following day, the 21st. The person who filed it was Jung, a Chinese national in his 30s who was acquainted with A. Jung introduced himself to police as A's boyfriend and reported that "she said she was going to Daegu, but I can't reach her."
Police analyzed location data from A's mobile phone and confirmed connection records near a convenience store close to her graduate school and around Dongdaegu Station on the day she went missing. They then launched a search in cooperation with the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency, but her whereabouts were not established.
A was found dead on the afternoon of the 25th, five days after she went missing, at Jung's residence in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan. Police identified Jung as the prime suspect and arrested him on a murder charge on a street in Hayang-eup at about 7:29 p.m. that day. After an on-site reenactment and other procedures, Jung was transported to the Gyeongsan Police Station later that night.
Police are concentrating on determining the exact time of death to establish whether Jung filed the missing-person report a full day after A had already died. An autopsy will also be conducted to determine the precise cause and time of death.
Wore Women's Clothing to Dongdaegu Station After the Killing; Police Probe Whether He Sought to Mislead
Suspicious circumstances were also found in Jung's movements before and after the killing. Through closed-circuit television footage and other evidence, police confirmed that Jung entered his residence with A and later left alone. He then traveled to Dongdaegu Station wearing women's clothing, with his face covered by a hat and other items, investigators said.
Jung is believed to have changed clothes in a restroom near Dongdaegu Station before returning to his residence. Police also found indications that he turned off A's mobile phone during this period.
Police are examining the possibility that Jung was trying to conceal his own movements or make it appear that A had traveled elsewhere, in order to mislead the investigation. They are also weighing whether to apply a charge of obstruction of official duties over those actions.
When reporters asked Jung about his motive as he was transported to the police station on the night of the 25th, he gave no answer and entered the building with his head down. Police began questioning him on his motive and the specific circumstances of the killing on the morning of the 26th.
Chinese Consulate Calls for Thorough Investigation and Severe Punishment, Pledges Support for Family
Interest in the case is also growing in China. According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 26th, the Chinese Consulate General in Busan said it had confirmed with South Korean police the previous day that a Chinese female student had been found dead and that a man in his 30s had been arrested on a murder charge.
The consulate general said it had asked South Korean police to conduct a swift and thorough investigation and to punish the perpetrator severely in accordance with the law. It added that it would provide consular support to help the victim's family with funeral and related arrangements.
News of A's disappearance had earlier spread through Chinese social media. A post apparently written by her family was uploaded to Weibo and other platforms, and students at her university shared related information on South Korean social media, drawing wider attention.
A photograph circulated on social media showing a woman believed to be A alongside former President Moon Jae-in at what appeared to be his Pyeongsan Bookstore. After news of her death emerged, related search terms briefly ranked first on Weibo's real-time search rankings.
Separately, some Chinese media outlets incorrectly reported that Jung was a South Korean national, but he was confirmed to be a Chinese national employed as an office worker. Police are focusing their investigation on establishing the exact nature of the relationship between A and Jung, the motive for the killing and the time of death.
