Man in His 50s Detained for Killing Teen; Court Cites "High Risk of Evidence Destruction"

Court: "Risk of destroying evidence or fleeing"
Remains silent; skips warrant hearing

A man in his 50s accused of killing a 15-year-old girl in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, has been taken into custody.

A police cordon is in place at the scene of the murder of a teenage girl in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on the 11th. Photo by Park Hosu.

Kang Young-hoon, a presiding judge handling warrants at the Seoul Northern District Court, said on Nov. 13 that he had issued a warrant to detain Mr. Jin, 59, who is accused of murder, after replacing the pre-arrest suspect examination with a written review.

The court found that there was a substantial risk that Mr. Jin might destroy evidence or flee. The court had initially planned to hold a hearing at 10:30 a.m. that day, but after Mr. Jin declined to appear, it reviewed the need for his detention based on police investigation records and other materials.

Mr. Jin is accused of killing A, 15, at a short-term rental accommodation in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on Nov. 10. He was arrested at the scene at around 1:40 a.m. the following day while heavily intoxicated and has exercised his right to remain silent for the third consecutive day.

Investigators suspect the crime may have been planned in advance. On the day of the incident, Mr. Jin bought a cleaver and charcoal briquettes at two household goods stores in Incheon. At around 5:17 p.m., he met A, who had been waiting outside the accommodation, and went in with her. Investigators believe he left alone about three hours later, wandered around nearby, and disposed of the weapon and a damaged cellphone.

Meanwhile, police have decided not to disclose Mr. Jin's identity.

More details are also emerging about the complicated relationships among people close to the suspect and their suspected involvement in crimes. A, who was found dead, was the victim in a statutory rape case involving a minor allegedly committed by Mr. Jin's 20-year-old son. She had been moving between several youth shelters since early this year. Mr. Jin's son is currently being held at the Seoul Southern Detention Center after being detained on a separate theft charge.

Investigators believe that the person who rented the accommodation where the incident took place was Kim, a woman in her 20s who had previously been in a common-law relationship with Mr. Jin. The victim's family claims that Kim psychologically controlled A and instructed her to commit various crimes, including theft and prostitution.

Police are also investigating whether Mr. Jin, his son, Kim and A were involved together in crimes involving extorting money through paid dating arrangements.

Since the tragedy occurred shortly after a renewed application for a warrant to detain Kim and a notice summoning her for an interview with the prosecution, investigators are widening their inquiry to include the possibility that Mr. Jin committed the crime to cover up Kim's alleged crimes.

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