Graduate School Lecturer Held in Killing of Chinese Student in Korea

A Chinese man in his 30s arrested on suspicion of killing a Chinese student in her 20s, who was found dead five days after she went missing, worked as a lecturer at the graduate school the victim attended, police said. Police have obtained statements from people around them that the two were acquainted, and have also confirmed that the suspect left his home wearing women's clothing and carrying the victim's mobile phone after the alleged killing. Investigators are focusing on the motive.

According to reporting by The Seoul Economic Daily on the 27th, the Gyeongsan Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province is questioning a Chinese national surnamed Jung on charges including murder. Jung is accused of killing a 25-year-old Chinese student identified as A. Police arrested him on a street in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, at about 7:29 p.m. on the 25th.

Jung worked in rehabilitation-related duties at a hospital in North Gyeongsang Province while teaching at the graduate school A attended, according to police. He taught two undergraduate major courses in the first semester of this year and was scheduled to teach two more in the second semester. At a local gathering of Chinese students, information was shared that Jung was on friendly terms with students and was acquainted with A, according to accounts.

Police are reconstructing the sequence of events based on Jung's movements before and after the alleged crime. Investigators believe Jung and A entered Jung's residence in Hayang-eup together at about 2 a.m. on the 20th, and that only Jung left at about 10:30 p.m. the same day. Nearby closed-circuit television footage captured Jung at the time wearing women's clothing, with his face covered by a hat, pulling a suitcase.

Jung then traveled to Dongdaegu Station carrying A's mobile phone, turned off the phone near the station, changed clothes in a restroom and returned to his residence, the investigation found. Police are examining whether the behavior was intended to conceal his movements and evade tracking by investigators. They have also confirmed indications that Jung mutilated and disposed of part of A's body, and are searching related sites including waste incineration facilities.

Jung himself reported to police at about 7:05 p.m. on the 21st, the day after the alleged killing, saying that A had gone missing after traveling to Daegu. Police are checking whether he filed a false report to hide the crime and confuse the investigation, and are also reviewing whether an additional charge of obstruction of official duties can be applied.

A had stayed in China with her family during the school break and entered South Korea on the 14th to attend a degree conferral ceremony. She lost contact with family and acquaintances from the night of the 20th, and a missing-person report was filed the following day. Police found A dead at Jung's residence on the 25th, five days after the report.

Jung is refusing to make statements about his motive and the specific circumstances of the case. Police attempted a face-to-face interview with him the previous day, but he declined to speak, saying he would submit to questioning after retaining a privately hired defense lawyer. "We will continue the investigation based on the evidence we have secured, and we plan to request an arrest warrant for Jung," a police official said.

Meanwhile, the graduate school has begun procedures to remove Jung from second-semester classes. The possibility of appointing him as a non-tenured professor had also been raised, but the school plans to cancel that process as well.