A South Korean man in his 50s has been arrested for allegedly murdering his girlfriend 16 years ago and concealing her body on his balcony under a layer of cement.
Authorities from Gyeongnam Provincial Police and Geoje Police Station reported that the man was charged with murdering the woman in October 2008 following an argument.
He allegedly struck her with a blunt object, placed her body in a large travel bag, and then hid it on his balcony by stacking bricks and covering it with a 10-centimeter (four-inch) layer of cement.
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The woman was not reported missing until 2011, three years after her death, as she was not in contact with her family. During the missing person investigation, the man claimed they had broken up, and due to insufficient evidence, the case went cold.
Police explained that the body was not discovered earlier because it was concealed in a small balcony space that had been unused since 2016.
That year, the man was arrested on drug charges, and the landlord said the property was used only for storage.
The victim's remains were found last month when a worker searching for water leaks discovered the travel bag. Police confirmed that the body was "preserved to some extent," allowing identification through fingerprints rather than just skeletal remains.
The man was subsequently brought in for questioning, during which he confessed to the murder. A Gyeongnam Provincial Police official stated that the investigation is nearly complete, and the suspect will be "sent to prosecution soon."
