"Calls for 'Extradition to China' Surge Over Chinese Student Murder Case Amid Claims 'Korea Does Not Enforce Death Penalty'"

The Suspect is Also a Chinese University Lecturer
Body Dismemberment, Cross-Dressing, and False Reports Revealed
Police Recover Remains Across Multiple Regions
Authorities to Review Public Release of Suspect's Identity

Details are emerging about the actions before and after the crime committed by a Chinese university lecturer in Korea, who is suspected of murdering and dismembering a female Chinese international student whom he had taught. The case is causing widespread outrage in China as well. In particular, as it became known that the suspect disguised his movements by wearing the victim's clothes after the crime and even filed the missing person report himself, there have been numerous calls online in China stating, "He should be extradited to China and sentenced to the maximum penalty."

At around 11:50 PM on the 25th, a suspect believed to have murdered a Chinese international student in their 20s is being escorted to the Gyeongsan Police Station in Gyeongbuk Province. Yonhap News Agency

On August 31, information and anger regarding Zheng (31, family name anonymized), the Chinese national university lecturer accused in the student murder case, continued to pour out across Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency and social media. Zheng is suspected of murdering Ms. A, a 25-year-old Chinese woman, at his residence in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, early in the morning of the 20th, then dismembering her body and disposing of the remains in various locations, including North Gyeongsang Province and Gyeonggi Province. Ms. A was a Chinese international student at the university where Zheng taught. She was already employed in China, but had returned to Korea on August 14 to attend an event and receive graduation-related certifications, during which she was killed.

CCTV footage secured by the police captured Ms. A and Zheng entering his residence together around 2:00 a.m. on the 20th. Although there was no indication that Ms. A was being forced, there was no footage of her leaving the premises. Instead, at around 10:30 p.m. that same day, Zheng was caught leaving alone, dressed in women’s clothing with his face obscured by a hat.

Zheng is reported to have moved around the area of Dongdaegu Station with Ms. A’s mobile phone before switching it off. Afterward, he reportedly changed back into men’s clothing in a restroom and returned to his residence. Police suspect that Zheng’s actions were intended to fabricate evidence as if the victim had left alive in order to mislead the investigation. In fact, during the initial missing persons search, police, using the location information from Ms. A’s phone, identified Dongdaegu Station as her last known location and began their search there.

Wearing the Victim’s Clothes to Dongdaegu Station... Posted Class Notices in Group Chat Even Four Days After the Crime

Even more shocking were Zheng’s actions after the murder. On the day after the crime, the 21st, Zheng personally filed a police report for Ms. A’s disappearance, reportedly introducing himself as her boyfriend. He also kept in contact with those searching for Ms. A, telling them he had reported her missing to the police. According to interviews with Ms. A’s classmate by Pengpai News and others, Zheng posted information about the next class in the student group chat at around 9:00 p.m. on the 24th, four days after Ms. A had disappeared. He behaved as if nothing was unusual and was only arrested by police in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, at around 7:29 p.m. on the 25th.

The suspect in the murder of a Chinese international student in Gyeongsan, caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) around 10:30 p.m. on the 20th, leaving the residence in disguise. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

A classmate told Chinese media that Zheng generally got along well with students, expressing disbelief upon hearing about the crime. Zheng taught courses such as rehabilitation therapy and neuroanatomy and was scheduled to teach two subjects, including human anatomy, in the new semester. It also emerged that Zheng had dismembered the victim’s body and disposed of the remains in several locations. Based on Zheng’s statements and vehicle movement records, the police conducted searches in Gyeongsan, Gyeongju, and Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, recovering additional body parts over the weekend. The search for remaining body parts is ongoing.

The motive for the crime remains unclear. Zheng reportedly told police that he and Ms. A were in a romantic relationship and had conflicts over marriage. However, those close to Ms. A have refuted Zheng’s claims, stating they were not a couple. The police have also stated that, since Ms. A is deceased, Zheng’s claims alone are insufficient to determine the relationship or motive. They are currently verifying the credibility of his statements through analysis of phone records and interviews with people around the victim.

Zheng also refused to undergo a psychopathy evaluation that police had planned to conduct with the help of a criminal profiler. Police are investigating whether Zheng’s knowledge of anatomy was used in the methods of the crime and the dismemberment of the body.

Chinese Online Users Say “Korea Does Not Enforce the Death Penalty” in Anger... Little Possibility of Extradition to China

After the case became public, news of the incident spread rapidly across Chinese portals and social media platforms such as Weibo. Initial concerns focused on whether the victim had been targeted for crime because she was abroad, but the shock grew after it was revealed that the suspect was a fellow Chinese national and the victim’s teacher. Many Chinese netizens posted comments such as, “Korea has not enforced the death penalty for a long time, so he should be extradited to China for trial,” and, “He should be punished to the fullest extent under Chinese law.” Others noted that one should not let their guard down just because someone is a fellow Chinese person outside China, and that Zheng’s act of pretending to file a missing person report while searching for the victim was particularly shocking.

At around 11:50 p.m. on the 25th, a suspect believed to have murdered a Chinese international student in his 20s is being transported to the Gyeongsan Police Station in Gyeongbuk. Yonhap News

The victim’s family has also expressed great anger. According to Chinese media reports, Ms. A’s family has demanded severe punishment for the perpetrator. However, legal experts in China note that actual extradition and trial in China are highly unlikely, since the crime took place in Korea and Korean police have already arrested and are investigating the suspect, despite the existence of an extradition treaty between the countries. Legal scholars in China believe it is highly likely the case will be tried first by Korean judicial authorities. Under Korean law, murder carries a possible death sentence, but since December 1997, Korea has not executed the death penalty and is classified internationally as a “de facto abolitionist state.”

Chinese diplomatic authorities have also taken action. The Consulate General of China in Busan confirmed the death of the Chinese national woman with the Korean police and urged Korean authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation and to impose the strictest possible punishment in accordance with the law. It also stated that the consulate would provide all necessary consular assistance to the bereaved family.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.