The entrance of an officetel in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, photographed Tuesday afternoon. A man in his 50s, identified as A, was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday after allegedly killing a woman in her 50s who lived at the building. [Lee Woo-jung/The Herald Business]
The entrance of an officetel in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, photographed Tuesday afternoon. A man in his 50s, identified as A, was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday after allegedly killing a woman in her 50s who lived at the building. [Lee Woo-jung/The Herald Business]

Closed-circuit television cameras captured the suspect in the Suyu-dong officetel murder in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, leaving the building immediately after the killing.

The footage showed the suspect, identified only as A, stepping into an elevator and exiting the building at around 3:30 a.m. Monday with blood on his clothes and carrying what appeared to be a weapon.

The Seongnam Sujeong Police Station had received a tip that night that a man in his 50s — identified as A — was using drugs around Seoul. The informant was later found to be an acquaintance of A, not a resident of the officetel or a relative of the victim.

The informant also told police that A may have killed someone, though the information was not specific. Investigators used the tip to obtain A's vehicle registration number, traced his movements and confirmed that he had frequently visited an officetel in Suyu-dong.

Officers dispatched to the building reviewed shared CCTV footage recording A's movements in the early hours of that morning. Detectives then staked out the building's interior and underground parking garage. Shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, A returned to the officetel, took the elevator and got off on the 11th floor. Police arrested him at around 1:42 a.m. on the second basement level — roughly three hours after arriving at the building.

Officers brought A to the 11th floor and entered the unit where the killing had occurred, finding a woman in her 50s, identified as B, dead inside. The Seongnam Sujeong Police Station then transferred the case and custody of the suspect to the Seoul Gangbuk Police Station.

Officers subsequently found and seized methamphetamine and cannabis from A's vehicle. Preliminary drug tests came back positive for both substances. Items believed to be the murder weapons — including a bladed weapon and a hammer — were also recovered at the scene.

It remains unclear why A returned to the officetel after the killing. Police are investigating the possibility that he came back to clean up the scene or retrieve belongings.

The Gangbuk Police Station applied Wednesday for an arrest warrant against A on charges of murder and violation of the Narcotics Control Act. Police plan to examine his mobile phone through forensic analysis to determine his relationship with the victim and establish a motive.


jookapooka@heraldcorp.com