A chilling tale of murder and deception has unfolded in South Korea, where a man in his 50s has confessed to killing his girlfriend 16 years ago and concealing her body on his balcony. The crime, which took place in October 2008, involved a heated argument during which the man struck the woman fatally with a blunt object. He then placed her body inside a large travel bag and hid it on his balcony, ingeniously camouflaging it with a layer of bricks and a four-inch layer of cement.
The victim’s disappearance went unreported for three years as she had no contact with her family. During a 2011 missing person inquiry, the man told police the couple had “broken up”, leaving the case unresolved due to a lack of evidence.
The body’s hiding place remained undetected for years, thanks to its strategic location on the small balcony and the fact that the room was essentially empty since 2016. This was the year the perpetrator was arrested for drug use, and the landlord used the space for storage.
The grim discovery was made last month when a worker searching for water leaks stumbled upon the travel bag. Upon inspection, police found the woman’s body remarkably preserved, allowing for identification through fingerprints.
Confronted with the evidence, the man eventually confessed to the murder. Police from Gyeongnam Provincial Police told AFP that the investigation and questioning are nearing completion, and the man will soon be sent to prosecution for his crimes. This case serves as a stark reminder of the lengths individuals may go to conceal their wrongdoings and the enduring impact of such crimes on families and communities.
