The Incheon district court handed down the sentence on 18/12, describing the defendant's actions as "cruel, wicked, and trampling on human dignity". The court also ordered the defendant to wear an electronic ankle monitoring bracelet for 15 years after his release.

Prosecutors stated that the defendant murdered his girlfriend, who was about 30 years old, in january 2021 at their home in Bupyeong district, Incheon. He then concealed her body until mid-2024.

The Incheon district court heard the case on 18/12. Photo: Yonhap News

According to the verdict, the couple first met in october 2015 while working together at a store in Japan. The woman had divorced in 2006 and was raising a young son alone.

They began cohabiting in 2016. The man was deported to South Korea in 2017 due to an expired visa but sought to contact her despite her rejections.

When the woman returned to South Korea in february 2018 to visit her sick mother, he took her passport and forced her to live with him in Incheon.

Because her South Korean resident registration card had expired years earlier, the woman could not open a bank account, purchase a mobile phone, or manage daily tasks independently. Prosecutors argued these circumstances severely exacerbated her isolation and dependence.

During their cohabitation, she was tightly controlled, provided only cash for living expenses, and prevented from contacting her family. He cited jealousy and fear that she might meet other men as reasons.

The victim's sister only managed to speak with her after reporting her missing in 2018, but contact was severed shortly thereafter.

The murder occurred on 10/1/2021, the night before the man was due in court for a fraud case worth 300 million won (approximately 202,000 USD). After drinking alcohol together, they argued about who would care for him if he were imprisoned, how to cover living costs, and the woman expressed a desire to visit her son in Japan. The court stated that he then strangled his girlfriend to death.

For the next 42 months, he regularly returned to the apartment to conceal the crime by spraying the body with diluted detergent, burning incense, using air fresheners, applying insecticide to eliminate maggots, and running the air conditioner to prevent odors from escaping.

He continued to pay rent and utility bills monthly to maintain the contract and avoid suspicion. During this period, he also began a relationship with another woman and had a child.

The case was only discovered after the man was imprisoned in may 2024 for fraud and could no longer tend to the apartment. In july 2024, the building manager detected a strong stench but could not reach him, so they called the police.

The court deemed the prolonged concealment an "insult to the victim" and deserving of severe punishment.

The man filed an appeal against the sentence on 19/12.