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A 25-year-old Chinese graduate student was found dead at the residence of a man in South Korea on Tuesday (Aug 25), five days after she was reported missing.
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A Chinese man in his thirties, who was reportedly a lecturer at the same university, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and desecration of a corpse.
The victim, identified by mainland Chinese media as a 25-year-old woman surnamed Wen, had recently graduated from Daegu Catholic University in South Korea.
She attended her graduation ceremony on Aug 20 before taking a bus to Daegu that evening, according to South Korean media reports. She was due to return to China on Aug 23 but lost contact with her family and friends.
Her family and friends later sought help on social media after she went missing.
Police investigating her disappearance traced her last known location to the area near Dongdaegu Station on Aug 25.
They subsequently raided the suspect’s residence in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, where they found the woman’s body, according to Korean media.
Police said the victim’s body had been dismembered, with some remains believed to have been discarded. Officers have been searching suspected disposal sites, including a waste incineration facility, for the remaining remains.
The suspect, a Chinese national surnamed Zheng, was arrested on suspicion of murder and desecration of a corpse, according to South Korean police.
Police also alleged that the suspect changed into the victim’s clothes after the killing and travelled to Dongdaegu Station carrying her mobile phone before turning it off.
He allegedly returned home after changing clothes in a restroom and later pretended to be the victim’s boyfriend when reporting her disappearance to police, apparently in an attempt to mislead investigators.
The Chinese Consulate General in Busan confirmed the death and said police were investigating, according to mainland Chinese media.
Daegu Catholic University confirmed on Wednesday (Aug 26) that the suspect was a lecturer at the university.
He had taught rehabilitation therapy and neuroanatomy, while two courses — human anatomy and musculoskeletal disorders and treatment — were also scheduled for him to teach in the coming semester.
People at the university reportedly said the suspect was familiar with the victim and had often looked after her because they were both Chinese.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death and the suspect’s motive.
