Key Summary
- A man in his 50s, arrested on suspicion of killing a 15-year-old girl, is still refusing to speak to police after sobering up.
- Police in Seoul said they resumed questioning on the morning of the 12th and plan to seek an arrest warrant on murder charges.
- The victim had previously been identified as a victim in a separate case involving the suspect’s son.
- Investigators are also examining possible links to a woman in a common-law relationship with the suspect, who is suspected in a different police probe involving money extortion tied to arranged meetings.
Main Story
Police in Seoul are continuing their investigation into a man in his 50s who was arrested while intoxicated on suspicion of killing a 15-year-old girl. According to the Seongbuk Police Station, questioning resumed on the morning of the 12th, but the suspect has continued to refuse to give a statement even after sobering up. Police said they intend to request an arrest warrant on murder charges.
The victim, identified as a 15-year-old girl, was found dead at a shared accommodation in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk District. She had been a victim in a separate statutory rape case involving the suspect’s son. Police do not believe the killing was simply retaliation connected to that case.
The same accommodation was reportedly rented by a woman in her 20s, referred to as C, who had been in a de facto marital relationship with the suspect. The Seoul Nowon Police Station has been investigating a separate case involving the victim, C, and the suspect’s son on suspicion of extorting money through a scheme involving arranged meetings. Family members of the deceased have reportedly claimed that C manipulated the victim and directed her into various crimes.
Police said the suspect was urgently arrested in the early hours of the 11th at the accommodation in a residential area of Seongbuk District. Because he was heavily intoxicated at the time, the initial interrogation was limited. His son is separately detained on theft charges.
Background
The source indicates that the victim was not attending school and was reported to have run away from home frequently. It also states that the suspect’s son was involved in a case in which the victim had been harmed, and that another police office had already been investigating possible criminal activity involving C, the victim, and the son. No additional background was provided.
Items Requiring Further Verification
- Claims by the family that C manipulated the victim and instructed her to commit crimes are attributed allegations and were not independently confirmed in the source.
- The assertion that the victim was coerced into prostitution and theft is also presented as a family claim.
- Police said they believe the killing was not simply tied to the son’s earlier case; this is an investigative assessment and remains unproven in the article.
- The exact role of C, the suspect, and the suspect’s son in the separate extortion investigation is still under police review.